Driving research through seed grant initiatives
The McDonnell International Scholars Academy is a catalyst for collaborative research across countries and disciplines. Through its seed grant initiatives, in the last two years the McDonnell Academy launched 42 new research projects in 25 countries.
2020 & 2021 Global Seed Grant Recipients
- In July 2020, ten research teams received a total of $250,000 in seed funding to initiate projects with international partners tackling far-reaching issues related to COVID-19.
- In partnership with the Africa Initiative, Institute for Public Health and the Social Policy Institute, the McDonnell Academy funded 17 additional projects on the African continent, in the areas of global health and international social policy.
- In July 2021, the McDonnell Academy launched a new mechanism, the Global Incubator Seed Grants Fund, intended to stimulate high-impact initiatives linking WashU faculty and international collaborators. The grants helped kick-start fifteen new initiatives on five continents.
Discover more seed grant success stories

Gates Foundation awards $1.8 million to DOLF team for lymphatic filariasis elimination in Indonesia
May 10, 2022

Timely research from the Social Policy Institute influences policy in Israel
January 10, 2022

Researchers keep international COVID-19 projects moving forward
June 2, 2021

WHO accepts COVID-19 reform recommendations from Harris Institute
May 24, 2021