Women and underrepresented minority faculty members engaging in life science research at Cornell have until Dec. 11 to apply for a grant from the Schwartz Research Fund for Women and Other Underrepresented Faculty in the Life Sciences.

Established in 2016, the competitive award supports faculty in Ithaca, Geneva and at Cornell Tech who are leading innovative research and pilot experiments expected to generate preliminary data that could lead to securing a larger grant.

Due to the pandemic, the activities eligible for funding are slightly altered this year. While travel is not supported, costs to sustain research while the university operates in a limited capacity – including the purchase of lab materials such as plastics, biologics, animals and genomics screens – are allowed.

“We recognize this is a challenging time for researchers. To meet the challenge, the Schwartz Research Fund is supporting expenses associated with completing initial experiments, as well as grant-writing and proposal development for faculty who might have particularly been impacted by the pandemic,” said Yael Levitte, associate vice provost for faculty development and diversity.

In past years, two $25,000 awards were issued. But due to the pandemic, awards at smaller amounts are anticipated.

Offered through the Provost’s Office of Faculty Development and Diversity (OFDD), the Schwartz award is endowed by Joan Poyner Schwartz ’65 and Ronald H. Schwartz ’65, chemistry majors in the College of Arts and Sciences who went on to work at the National Institutes of Health.

“This is the sixth year that the Schwartzes have generously committed their support for faculty underrepresented in the life sciences at Cornell,” said Levitte. “We’re very appreciative of their responsiveness and continued generosity.”

For information about the application process visit the OFDD’s website or email ofdd@cornell.edu.

Lori Sonken is the communication and program manager in the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity.