Harvard University announced on June 3 that it has awarded more than $4 million through the Frontiers of Innovation for Societal Impact Fund to support 20 faculty research projects aimed at tackling a range of societal problems. The grants, managed by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, are intended to foster collaboration with industry and accelerate the translation of research into tangible benefits.
The funded projects address issues such as malaria prevention, early detection of breast cancer, sustainable building materials, and privacy in data sharing. Recipients include researchers from across Harvard’s schools and disciplines. John F. Manning, University Provost, said, “We are delighted to stand up the Frontiers of Innovation for Societal Impact Fund. It will support work at the forefront of innovation, leveraging the latest technologies to bring valuable new insights into their fields and to society more broadly.”
John H. Shaw, Senior Vice Provost for Research, said Harvard’s success depends on both research excellence and its ability “to translate that research into tangible benefits to society.” Steven C. Currall, executive director and associate vice provost for academic-corporate initiatives in OVPR who oversees the fund, said, “We were gratified by the range of proposals we received — from faculty in health and medicine, climate science, public policy, technological development, the arts and humanities, and beyond.”
The awards were divided into two tracks: Spark awards (ranging from $50,000 to $100,000) target promising new ideas with potential industry engagement; Ascend awards (ranging from $250,000 to $750,000) support expansion of established project areas involving industry partners. Selection was based on scholarly merit through a peer review process involving faculty members as well as input from an external panel for Ascend awards.
Among this year’s recipients are teams developing drug-delivering bed nets against malaria resistance in Africa; creating an AI-powered archive for Egyptian archaeology; investigating molecular markers linked to breast cancer progression; advancing low-carbon building materials using waste wool; developing bioengineered platforms like a ‘periodontium-on-chip’ for dental disease modeling; and establishing open-source tools guaranteeing data privacy.
The university highlighted its ongoing commitment to bridging academic discovery with practical solutions by engaging both internal expertise and external industry partnerships.
