The MISTI Global Seed Funds program enables participating teams to collaborate with international peers, either at MIT or abroad, to develop and launch joint research projects. MISTI GSF is comprised of a general fund and numerous country, region, or university-specific funds.

MISTI GSF typically launches in the spring with a deadline in the fall. However, MISTI postponed the launch this year to the fall because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The call for proposals opened September 14 and will close December 14, 2020. Applicants will be informed of the results in mid-April 2021. Funds will be available for use from May 2021 through December 2022. This year, apart from the general fund, there are 26 region-specific awards targeting Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom. New funds for this cycle include:

• MIT-Colombia Cali Seed Fund
• MIT-Israel Broshy Brain and Cognitive Sciences Fund
• MIT-Jordan Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation Seed Fund
• MIT-Mexico Instituto Politécnico Nacional Seed Fund

The goal of MISTI GSF is to enable researchers to build lasting collaborations that tackle global problems.

Funded projects unite teams of faculty and students with international peers, combining their individual strengths to address challenging issues that may have a worldwide impact. Every year, the program gives over $2 million to faculty from every School across the Institute, awarding $20 million to 948 projects since its inception in 2008. A majority of MIT faculty have submitted at least one MISTI GSF proposal.

Typically, MISTI GSF projects have researchers traveling the globe year-round, with many trips happening during the summer. When Covid-19 spread across the world this spring, it quickly became evident that the GSF projects would be impacted. Consequently, MISTI extended the use of funds beyond the typical 20-month window and has allowed the repurposing of funds for student salaries for certain funds.

To apply for MISTI Global Seed Funds, please visit the online application portal.

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