3Cavaliers 2.0
SIF171 3C 2.0
Project Manager: Cheryl Wagner
Approved: December 2020
The purpose of this proposal is to provide a second round of funding for the 3Cavaliers program as a follow up to SIF129.
Project Dates: 1/01/2021 – 12/31/2023
Total Funding: $2,600,000
Current Status: Closed
Impact:
The 3Cavaliers (3C) program at UVA fills a critical gap in early-stage research funding by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty from diverse disciplines. By supporting bold, high-risk ideas not yet ready for traditional funding, 3C enhances UVA’s research capacity, positioning teams for extramural funding and groundbreaking discoveries. This program drives innovation, tackles global challenges, and builds a collaborative culture, engaging hundreds of faculty members and trainees. The result is a stronger, more dynamic research ecosystem that addresses pressing societal issues and solidifies UVA’s leadership in global innovation.
This program has been funded for the next four years FY25-FY29 with non-SIF funding.
This seed funding program will support new, collaborative, high-risk, early-stage research between three UVA faculty members (3 Cavaliers) from at least two units representing disparate disciplines to form interdisciplinary Cavalier Trios (“CTs”) across UVA Grounds to address complex global societal challenges with consequential outcomes. This SIF award provides a funding for a second round of the 3Cavaliers (3C) seed funding program, which was originally funded under SIF Project #129. By empowering faculty creativity and significantly advancing our interdisciplinary research culture, this program will increase the research capacity of the University and position the faculty teams to be highly competitive for extramural funding from federal agencies and philanthropic organizations, and/or enable faculty to progress toward the gold standard of scholarly excellence in their field.
The program engaged 160 faculty members and 946 trainees, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in this round. Our investment has returned $14,391,373 grant dollars awarded as of May 2023. It not only increased faculty creativity and advanced the University's culture of interdisciplinary research but also laid the groundwork for enduring partnerships. These collaborations are expected to drive future innovation and solidify the University's role as a leader in tackling pressing global issues.