Small Seed Grants Are Bearing Fruit

The investments help faculty turn promising ideas into collaborative efforts with lasting impact

Two people sitting at a table.
One grant address global cancer disparity.

The following is a summary of a story that originally appeared on the Interdisciplinary Programs website.

Many Duke faculty have used small investments from the Provost’s Intellectual Community Planning Grants(ICPG) program to launch collaborations that returned big dividends: major external funding, new academic programs and opportunity to shape public policy. Here are some examples:

Global Cancer Disparities: Nearly nine out of 10 deaths from cervical cancer happen in low- and middle-income countries. Faculty from medicine, engineering and global health used an ICPG to plan several projects resulting in three funded grants. They focused on designing cervical cancer prevention around women’s needs, including the Pocket Colposcope and the mobile health app mSaada.

Risk and Resilience: At Duke, scholarship on risk is aimed at improving society’s capacity to deal with major challenges such as climate change and pandemics. Faculty from law and engineering received an ICPG to help position Duke as a leader in the field. 

Plastic Pollution: If the current rate of pollution continues, plastic debris will soon outweigh all the fish in the oceans. A group received an ICPG to expand its plastic pollution activities in order to develop and inform policy and management solutions. The working group is now composed of over 60 faculty, students, staff and postdocs. 

Campus Farm Pedagogies: Through the Duke Campus Farm’s courses for credit, students can explore topics such as food systems and sustainability. The farm’s director received an ICPG to learn firsthand from other schools’ campus farms, returning with best practices and new inspiration for climate education.

Critical Minerals: The limited availability of critical minerals threatens the stability of key global industries. Faculty members received an ICPG to strengthen Duke’s capacity to address this vital area; the group went on to establish the Critical Minerals Hub, through which experts are developing strategies to manage demand and supply.

The Office of the Provost is accepting ICPG proposals through March 20, 2026; see the RFP and read the full story on the Interdisciplinary Programs website.