The Office of Interdisciplinary Studies directs or comanages several competitive grant programs for members of the Duke community, and oversees a range of other offerings. Browse an overview below, and see current opportunities.
Internal Funding Programs
For Faculty Members
Multiyear Interdisciplinary Hubs
Proposals for term-limited interdisciplinary “hubs” in areas that can galvanize emerging intellectual connections, research collaborations and links to external partners, as well as create compelling pathways of inquiry for students at all levels
Intellectual Community Planning Grants [currently paused]
Support to faculty who are interested in convening a group of colleagues to begin or test a new collaboration around a shared intellectual interest
Reuben-Cooke Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Practices Project
Proposals that link research and advocacy in their teaching or relate to social justice, environmental justice, voting rights, or public history more broadly in Durham and North Carolina
Additional Opportunities
Bass Connections
Each year, more than 250 faculty, over a thousand undergraduates and several hundred graduate students engage in team-based research through Bass Connections. See opportunities for faculty and learn how students can get involved.
University Institutes, Initiatives and Centers
These interdisciplinary units offer a plethora of opportunities to faculty and students for involvement and funding. Explore their websites to learn more.
Duke Graduate Academy
Free summer short courses introduce graduate students and postdocs to skills, tools and knowledge that augment their regular coursework and research.
Supplemental Summer Funding for Ph.D. Students
Please see Ph.D. Student Summer Internship Fellowships (SIFs). The Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants (GSTEG) and Provost Internships programs have transitioned into SIF.
Previous Funding Programs
Established in 2018, the Collaboratories program supported groups of faculty whose engaged research targets societal challenges in alignment with Duke’s strategic priorities. Some groups included students. The first two cycles supported research on three themes: Energy & Water Resources; Race, Religion & Citizenship; and Population Health. The third cycle focused on two new themes: Immigration; and Science, Technology & Ethics.
Part of the Together Duke academic strategic plan, these grants provided flexible, immediate resources to strengthen Duke’s intellectual communities and help faculty groups move forward on both fundamental inquiry and solutions for real-world problems.
See examples of collaboratories that secured larger external grants.
Established in 2016, Duke Support for Interdisciplinary Graduate Network Grants (D-SIGN) enable graduated students to build their networks and integrate collaborative, cross-school experiences into their programs.
All current graduate students in any program at Duke were eligible to propose interdisciplinary groups and activities, such as a year-long research team, groups to explore a compelling theme or problem that cuts across disciplinary lines, or a joint effort to construct an interdisciplinary course for undergraduates.
The program’s aim to was to help increase the number of individuals whose graduate training reflects Duke’s signature commitments to interdisciplinarity and knowledge in the service of society.
Read about D-SIGN projects in 2019-2020, 2018-2019, 2017-2018 and 2016-2017.
Established in 2019, this grant program provided support to Duke faculty to acquire skills, knowledge or experiences outside or beyond their main disciplines. It aimed to enhance faculty members’ capacity to carry out original research and provide transformative learning experiences for students. Any Duke regular rank faculty member with a primary appointment in a school other than Medicine or Nursing was eligible to propose activities.