Federal Research Updates: Please see Federal Research Updates 2025 for the latest updates on executive orders and policies impacting federally funded research.
Cross-Disciplinary Research Fund
Purpose
The goal of the Cross-Disciplinary Research Fund (CDRF) is to establish collaborative research partnerships within research centers and institutes or between two or more diverse disciplines that encourage strong applications to externally funded opportunities.
Emphasis will be placed on junior investigators, first-time applicants, and investigators who are proposing work in a new area of cross-disciplinary research. Proposals to continue or extend previous work will be considered but prioritized accordingly.
Furthermore, applicants are encouraged to articulate how the proposed research and scholarship supports one or more of the university's academic priorities which include:
- Academic Medicine
- Sustainability and Climate Change
- Data Science, Computing, and Society
- Penn West Equity and Innovation District
Eligibility
CDRF co-investigators must meet the eligibility requirements of being a principal investigator (PI) on an externally funded project. PI eligibility is determined by the schools. Please note that if Institutional Review Board (IRB) review is required, the IRB will continue to have its own PI eligibility criteria in accordance with their accrediting body’s guidance.
Deadline
Full Proposal Due: Wednesday January 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET via InfoReady.
All required documents for the CDRF competition can be found in the OVPR-InfoReady portal. Please contact intramurals
gwu [dot] edu (intramurals[at]gwu[dot]edu) if you have any questions about the submission process or supporting documentation. Please include "CDRF" in the subject line of your email.
View the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.