Grand Challenges: Complex societal problems that require
the harnessing of science, technology, innovation and the
imagination to solve.
Trans-Institutional Programs
The Vanderbilt Approach to Grand Challenges
Trans-institutional Programs (TIPs) create new and valuable
knowledge by interweaving relevant perspectives, features, methods,
and information from two or more disciplines.
Support for
Cross-Disciplinary
Discovery and
Learning
Tackling Society’s
Grand Challenges
$50M over 5 years
Award Participants
by School
17 Inaugural Awards
Granted
153 Participants
700+ Faculty
Involved in the
Proposal Process
Total
153
Medicine
52
Arts & Science
45
Engineering
26
Peabody
14
Law
3
Owen
3
Divinity
2
Blair
2
Nursing
1
VRAs
Health Solutions for the
U.S. South
Vanderbilt Reinvestment Awards
Initiative in Surgery
and Engineering
Institute for Obesity
and Metabolism
Climate Change Governance
Chronic Disease in
Underserved Settings
Global Health Tech
Bioeffector Discovery
NetsBlox:
Digital Learning
Wisdom
Working Group
Music, the Mind and Society
Advancing Neuroimaging
The
Big Data
Architecture
Ethics of Health and
Human Flourishing
Pre3 Initiative
Molecular Probes
Healthcare in Brazil
VIAs
Vanderbilt Initiative Awards
Sterling Ranch
Sustainability Research
Vanderbilt.edu/strategicplan
Please
visit
website!
Changes to Process
1) Timing should be less rushed
2) Online application submission and review process (REDCap)
3) Expansion of what qualifies as “trans-institutional”
4) VRAs must have letter from the relevant deans, VIAs do not need
a letter from the relevant deans
5) VRAs will be judged by the TIPs Council, not review panels
6) Developing more concrete and systematic feedback on proposals
7) Some turn-over in review panels, mostly the result of leaves
Features of Successful Proposals
1) Identifying an important problem and writing the proposal in a way that resonates
with an audience of humanists, social scientists, and life/physical scientists. As
one panel member said, “we looked for inspiring proposals.”
2) They reflect true cross-campus collaborations that might not happen without TIPs
funding. It is important that these collaborations also be trans-institutional in
spirit.
3) Attention to teaching and mentoring that made it clear this aspect of the proposal
was central, not an afterthought.
4) Makes a compelling case that the funding will really make a difference. Big ideas
do not always require a lot of money. Thoughtfulness in budget proposals.
5) Proposal made a case for why this topic could be an area of excellence at
Vanderbilt.
Common Problems in TIPs Proposals
1) Involves a project dominated by a single academic unit, with others being only
ceremonially involved. Related, adding names to the proposal that were not centrally
involved detracted from the proposal.
2) Project that reflects incremental aims beyond previous work by the same (or nearly
the same) team.
3) Project is clearly well-suited for classical existing extramural funding programs (by
NIH grants, for example).
4) Educational component did not seem earnest and/or compelling.
5) Proposals with big ideas, but no clear plans on how to execute that idea suffered.
Frequently Asked Questions
•
•
•
Would a proposal be strengthened by having 3 or more colleges involved? The
number of colleges in and of itself should not matter. It is the quality of the idea
that will drive decisions.
Would a proposal be strengthened by having a larger number of faculty
involved? Again, the number itself should not matter. It is the quality of the
engagement that is important. On the pre-proposal submission form, the number
of collaborators is limited to 15. If additional faculty members need to be included,
they can be listed on the cover page of the pre-proposal PDF.
Does a proposal need to involve both learning and discovery? Yes. A successful
proposal will need to describe how both of these critical missions will be advanced
with this investment of money.
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/strategicplan/trans-institutional-programs/tips-FAQ.php