The Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Seed Grants Program (IIP) funds proposals that enhance interdisciplinary research among the Stanford scientific communities in areas related to bioengineering, biosciences, and biomedicine.
The IIP awards provide seed funding for high-risk, high-reward collaborative proposals including basic research leading to fundamental discoveries, as well as innovative technology, relating to human health.
Seed Grants for Success
By enabling scientists involved in technology development to work in highly collaborative ways with discovery scientists across a broad array of disciplines, the Stanford Bio-X program accelerates the pace of innovation. Stanford Bio-X is a fertile environment for visionaries, and the IIP awards give them the seed funding they need to allow high-risk ideas to germinate and grow. In this way, the IIP awards have a unique purpose and profound rewards.
IIP awards are given to teams of faculty with early-stage, high-risk ideas that couldn’t be funded by traditional sources.
Our Investment: Stanford Bio-X awards approximately $4 million every other year in the form of two-year seed grants. The current two-year grant level is $200,000 per project. From inception in 2000 through the twelfth round in 2024, the program has provided critical early-stage funding to 277 interdisciplinary projects involving more than 400 faculty representing six Stanford Schools and dozens of departments.
The IIP awards have stimulated a striking increase in the number and diversity of collaborations between faculty across Stanford University.
Scientific Rewards: By providing Stanford faculty with the seed funding necessary to demonstrate the feasibility of their ideas, the IIP awards catalyze intellectual property and start-up companies, in addition to making the faculty much more competitive for federal grants, which contribute valuable resources to the university.
To date, the IIP awards have resulted in over $400 million in external funding awarded to the university. This return on investment by the IIP awards has supported hundreds of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, resulted in hundreds of publications and dozens of patents filed, and accelerated the pace of scientific discovery and innovation.
Learn more about the Seed Grants in the Bio-X white paper
WATCH SYMPOSIUM TALKS VIEW ALL SEED GRANTS
Explore the research funded by our Seed Grants!
| ROUND 12 - (Awarded in September 2024) | ROUND 6 - (Awarded in September 2012) |
| ROUND 11 - (Awarded in September 2022) | ROUND 5 - (Awarded in September 2010) |
| ROUND 10 - (Awarded in September 2020) | ROUND 4 - (Awarded September 2008) |
| ROUND 9 - (Awarded September 2018) | ROUND 3 - (Awarded September 2006) |
| ROUND 8 - (Awarded September 2016) | ROUND 2 - (Awarded November 2002) |
| ROUND 7 - (Awarded September 2014) | ROUND 1 - (Awarded October 2000) |