Sponsor
Schmidt Futures
Sponsor deadline:
Internal deadline:
Award Details
The Schmidt Science Polymath program aims to encourage the best “polymath” scientists to expand their research portfolios by exploring a substantive disciplinary or methodological shift soon after achieving tenure.
The program will offer long-term research support to professors who have recently achieved tenure or an equivalent status (within the past three calendar years) with remarkable track records and highly promising futures. Each professor will be awarded $500,000 per year, paid through their institution, for up to five years to help support a research group through talent, such as three to four students or postdocs, and resources. These grants are intended to make possible the exploration of new ideas across disciplines, using emerging technologies to test risky theories that may not otherwise receive funding or support. They are not intended to relieve the researcher of pursuing other grants to continue their mainstream work, nor to be large enough to fully support a modern lab.
Nominations are by invitation to the VP Research and Innovation. UBC is limited to three (3) nominees for the 2024 competition and VPRI is coordinating internal selection processes. Applicants can self-nominate for internal selection by submitting the materials below by email to Kevin McCartney (kevin.mccartney@ubc.ca) by Wednesday, July 24th:
- A brief rationale (200 words)
- Contact info, primary website link*, and the primary field(s) of research
- Current UBC CV
* Please note that the personal website is an important, required document submitted to the sponsor, so the website should be up to date.
A central committee will review these materials and select the institution’s three nominations for submission.
Should the Schmidt Futures program accept the nominations after an initial review, the identified candidates will be contacted directly to submit an application, due in October. Candidates will have VPRI support in finalizing their materials, which includes a detailed nomination form and short CV.
Questions? Contact Kevin McCartney, Award Nomination Development Officer kevin.mccartney@ubc.ca