WashU’s Research Development Office is opening a new round of Research Seed Grants this fiscal year that will fund projects that meaningfully integrate artificial intelligence into research. The new round of funding aligns with the Provost’s AI initiative, which is focused on harnessing AI to accelerate discovery across disciplines and strengthen interdisciplinary, cross-school collaborations. 

WashU Research Seed Grants help faculty pursue promising ideas that aren’t yet funded, generate the pilot data needed to compete for larger external awards, and build new research collaborations before they’re ready for a larger stage. The program offers three grants, Spark, Ignite, and Transcend, supporting projects at different stages of development, from early exploration to larger collaborations. 

For FY27, all three Seed Grants carry a Topic of Strategic Interest in AI. In keeping with the AI initiative, AI is treated not as a standalone field but as a capability that augments disciplinary expertise, meant to enhance, not replace, human creativity, judgment, and domain knowledge. The call outlines six example focus areas: 

  • AI as an Enabler of Discovery: Work that integrates AI to generate new knowledge, augment existing methods, and foster collaboration between computational and domain experts. 
  • AI-Augmented Research Workflows: Work that uses AI to enhance research processes, including data analysis, modeling, simulation, and hypothesis generation. 
  • Data, Infrastructure, and AI Readiness: Work that advances datasets, data pipelines, and computational tools that enable effective and responsible use of AI. 
  • Responsible, Ethical, and Human-Centered AI: Work that addresses fairness, bias, transparency, explainability, governance, and the broader ethical and societal implications of AI. 
  • Translation, Practice, and Real-World Impact: Work that advances AI-enabled applications in applied or practice-based settings, including pilot projects, prototypes, and implementation-oriented research. 
  • AI for Complex and Societal Challenges: Work that applies AI to pressing challenges such as resilient ecosystems, health and wellbeing, and social and economic systems. 

Research teams without in-house AI expertise are encouraged to apply. WashU’s Digital Intelligence & Innovation (DI2) Accelerator can advise on AI methods, compute, technical scoping, and cost estimates during proposal development. Reach out to di2accelerator@wustl.edu for advising on the technical aspects of your project or contact researchseedfunding@wustl.edu for questions about the program or application process.

Learn more at an upcoming information session.

Visit the program page to learn more about the seed grants and apply.