Through this initiative we will unleash the power of our most promising research and programs to fulfill the Wisconsin idea here and around the world.
pushing the frontiers of knowledge
trying out new ideas and programs
making a real difference in the world of scholarship and practice
working across disciplines to inspire new ways of thinking
The UW-Madison School of Education’s Grand Challenges is a grant program to support research and practice in education, health and creative expression.
We will spark interdisciplinary teams to engage in projects to make a profound difference in the world.
Across Disciplines
Your Next Big Idea
with the community
the world with your ideas
Each Grand Challenge team must include at least two UW-Madison School of Education Faculty or Staff from different departments. Teams will represent multiple academic disciplines, and may also include team members from across UW-Madison, other universities, and the wider community. Proposals that aim at community impact should include relevant community partners.
Each team will designate a UW-Madison School of Education faculty member to serve as primary investigator (PI). Individuals may participate on multiple teams, but can only serve as the PI on one proposal.
Grand Challenge Projects are collaboratively written proposals that address three key concepts: Inquiry, Innovation and Impact.
Inquiry — What is your burning question? How will the work extend and apply what we know and can do in key areas of expression, education or health-related scholarship? How will it transform the field?
Innovation — How will the proposal break new ground? How will the work use interdisciplinarity to cross boundaries into new programmatic, conceptual or aesthetic areas?
Impact — What measurable and authentic difference will the work make in the lives of people in our community, our state, our country, or our world? How can this difference be measured? Why is this the right time to address this problem?
Interdisciplinarity — How will the interdisciplinarity of your team help to cross boundaries into new programmatic, conceptual, or aesthetic areas? How will collaboration with partners from different fields strengthen your proposal in terms of academic or artistic approach, methodology, and/or type of engagement/dissemination? What populations will you focus on, and how will you involve them to enrich your project?
The Grand Challenges will be coordinated by the Wisconsin Collaborative Education Research Network (the Network) in partnership with leaders from across the School of Education. The Network’s role is to inspire faculty and staff to seek out the kinds of support they need to make a difference in the worlds of scholarship, creativity and everyday life.
Each Grand Challenge Project, regardless of the level of funding for which they choose to apply, will be featured on the Grand Challenges site. This will serve as the primary information source and point-of-contact for community members interested in knowing more about and supporting Grand Challenges projects.
