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Letter from the Director: GRI Launches New Research Funding Opportunities
On January 15, the Global Research Institute (GRI) launched three new funding pathways to support applied research at William & Mary. GRI Director Mike Tierney shares more details below:
Dear colleagues,
As we begin a new year, the Global Research Institute is launching three new programs to support research development at W&M. While these are funding opportunities that support collaborative, applied student-faculty research across William & Mary, the most valuable support embedded in all three programs is professional staff support for funded projects. If I have learned anything about building and sustaining research labs at W&M, it is that researchers can really benefit from professional support in the areas of fundraising, communications, partnership development, project management, and fiscal/administrative support. These programs are designed to provide such support. More about those opportunities below.
Recently, you may have heard something about “GRI 2.0.” The short version: For the last 20+ years, GRI has been the permanent administrative home to a limited number of applied research labs. In GRI’s next chapter, the Institute will expand its reach, temporarily hosting research projects for a period of incubation and acceleration. GRI will provide significant funding and administrative support to help faculty and staff build sustainable research initiatives that can transition out of GRI into permanent homes across the university.
In addition to this significant investment in a finite number of existing research efforts, GRI will also help build the pipeline for projects that can make an impact in the real world by supporting research at earlier stages of development. Hence, the opportunities we’re launching today.
Pathfinder Groups enable teams of researchers and students to spend a year exploring “big questions” centered on a core theme, providing a space to explore potential research directions and build relationships with other scholars without the pressure of immediate deliverables. Cohorts will meet monthly for seminars and design their own nine months of exploration with support from professional staff at GRI. This program will provide a stipend for faculty and staff—$1,000 for participants and $1,500 for facilitators.
Seed Funding of up to $20,000 will support pilot projects to generate preliminary data and develop proof-of-concept to lay the groundwork for larger external grants. This funding is flexible and can be used to collect data, fund student researchers, or pay for travel, among other expenses.
Accelerate Funding is GRI’s most significant investment in applied research, providing up to $300,000 and significant administrative support over three years to help promising research projects transition into a sustainable research enterprise that can consistently attract external funding, thereby expanding the number of opportunities for W&M students and faculty in some area of research expertise.
You can learn more about all of these opportunities and apply here.
While we’re excited about all of the changes happening at GRI this year, one thing is staying the same: Meaningful engagement with students is at the heart of what we do at GRI. We’ve always believed that good ideas can come from anyone—even, and especially, students—and GRI’s programs will continue to support students as true research partners.
We welcome your applications and your questions. GRI staff will host information sessions at the Hive Event Space in Swem Library on January 21, 2026, at 12:30 pm, January 28, 2026, at 5 pm, and January 30, 2026, at 10 am. Applications close on February 15 with decisions released in March.
We look forward to working with you to support applied research at William & Mary.
My best.
Mike
Michael J. Tierney
Director, Global Research Institute