Research and Innovation

Continually advocating research, academic study, and innovation across the globe throughout our community. Vanderbilt is a top ranked research university within the United States.

Global Engagement Funding

Global Scholars in Residence

The Global Scholars in Residence program provides financial support to faculty seeking to host a visiting scholar of group of scholars from a recognized non-U.S. institution of higher education or other non-U.S. non-profit educational and/or research-mission-driven entity.

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Global Engagement Travel Grant

The Global Engagement Travel Grants program provides financial support to faculty traveling internationally to academic conferences and professional development meetings/workshops.

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Global Engagement Research Seed Grant

The Global Engagement Research Seed Grants
support new and innovative faculty research endeavors that involve global engagement. The grants are meant to seed projects with larger funding capacities.

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Big Questions Fund

The Vice Provost's Office of Arts, Libraries & Global Engagement will fund annually two Big Questions colloquiums, summits, workshops, or summer schools to address pressing societal challenges of global interests.

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Vanderbilt-Liverpool Research Seed Grant

Vanderbilt University and the University of Liverpool have historic similarities, shared interests and are committed to developing global research collaborations leading to long-term impact.

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You may only apply and receive support for one award per year.

Additional Opportunities

  • Arts, Discovery, and Innovation Fund

    The ADI Fund supports faculty-driven collaborations with local and global arts organizations on innovative programming. Proposals must show relevance and support of the partnering organization, student involvement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a spirit of innovation.

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  • Berg Global Artist-in-Residence Fellowship

    The College of Arts and Science is proud to host the Berg Global Artist-in-Residence Fellowship program. The program brings accomplished visual artists to Vanderbilt for a residential fellowship designed to expose the campus community to new perspectives, media, and ideas in the visual arts and to offer the opportunity for collaboration on a range of creative projects and initiatives.

    The Berg Fellowship provides accommodation as well as a generous award stipend to cover both the expenses of residency and the honorarium for the fellowship. Stipends vary according to the length of the fellowship, typically one semester. 

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  • MENASS Fund

    Managed by the Graduate School, this fund supports faculty in research related to the Middle East, North Africa, Sahal,
    and Sub Sahara (MENASS) regions.

  • Vanderbilt Library Travel Grant

    The Center for Latin America, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (CLACX) at Vanderbilt is offering a short-term library research grant to promote scholarly use of the library’s extensive Colombian collections. To be used during the fall or spring of 2024-5 and completed by July 2025, the grant is funded by the Title VI National Resource Center grant from the US Department of Education. Recipients are awarded up to $2000 to support expenses such as airfare and lodging. 

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Research Centers and Institutes

Vanderbilt sponsors and supports a diverse set of centers, institutes, programs and departments that are focused on a variety of international and global endeavors.


Faculty Research Spotlight

"For me this grant represents the culmination of my long-held desire to conduct research that benefits our global community. I'm very excited about this aspect of this project, which was made possible because of the access to world-class researchers in various departments who can bring their perspectives to a complex problem requiring multiple ways of attack in order to get it done." - Audrey Bowden

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Initiatives to Encourage Research & Innovation

  • Discovery logo

    Discovery Vanderbilt

    This initiative will catalyze Vanderbilt's transformative research and discovery by committing major resources to dramatically increase faculty, student and staff engagement and success in pursuing bold new ideas through disciplined, rigorous inquiry.

  • Immersion logo

    Immersion Vanderbilt

    The Immersion Vanderbilt funding initiative will provide financial support to faculty members mentoring small groups of students outside the classroom as they complete their culminating projects.


The Vanderbilt's Global Voices Fellowship is designed to expand Vanderbilt's global reach by amplifying the impact of faculty research through media training and enhanced strategic communications.