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Funding Forward: Strategies for Securing Research Funding

As research funding becomes more complex and competitive, the Office of Research Initiatives and Development has launched Funding Forward: Strategies for Securing Research Funding, a webinar series designed to support faculty and researchers in navigating and securing external research funding. 

Interdisciplinary and inclusive in scope, the series provides practical guidance for engaging with private foundations, government agencies, and industry sponsors. Sessions explore strategies for effective sponsor engagement, grant discovery tools, and internal resources that strengthen funding competitiveness.

Sessions are delivered live and accompanied by supplemental materials. 

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Upcoming Sessions 

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Empire AI Webinar: Request for Compute Resources

Date: Thursday, September 11, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Location: Virtual (Zoom – link provided upon registration) 
Register Here

Empire AI is a consortium of nine New York State institutions, including Columbia, supported by New York State and private philanthropy. It provides shared access to a high-performance computing resource with state-of-the-art GPUs for doing AI research. This year’s solicitation includes access to Beta, a major upgrade to the existing Alpha system, delivering up to 7× faster training and 20× faster inference for machine learning models. Allocations will begin December 2025. 

Learn about the resources and support provided by the EVPR Office and CUIT Research Computing Services, and hear from current Columbia users about how they have leveraged Empire AI, the impact on their work, and how it has advanced their research. 

Featuring: 

Opening

Jeannette M. Wing, Executive Vice President for Research; Professor of Computer Science 

 

CUIT Research Computing Services

Elizabeth Kwon, Research Computing Specialist

 

Current Empire AI Research Experiences

Kathleen McKeown, Henry and Gertrude Rothschild Professor of Computer Science 

Wenpin Hou, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health

Judah Goldfeder, PhD Student, Department of Computer Science 

Thomson Yen, PhD Student, Columbia Business School  

 

This session is presented by Columbia’s Office of Research Initiatives and Development, in partnership with CUIT Research Computing Services. For solicitation-specific questions, you may also contact the Empire AI technical point of contact at Columbia. 

 

Flyer_Funding Forward: A Conversation with Health Sciences Foundation Leaders and Grant Makers

Funding Forward: A Conversation with Health Sciences Foundation Leaders and Grant Makers

Date: Friday, September 26, 2025
Time: 12:30–1:30 PM
Place: Virtual (Zoom – link provided upon registration)

Register Here

This session will spotlight how foundations in the health sciences are approaching grantmaking in today’s challenging climate and provide insights into the opportunities and expectations shaping this funding landscape. The conversation will explore strategies for building successful approaches and help researchers strengthen their engagement with health-focused foundations.

Panelists

  • Sindy Escobar-Alvarez, PhD – Program Director, Medical Research Program, Doris Duke Foundation
     
  • Irfan Hasan – Vice President, Programs and Grants, New York Community Trust
  • Victoria McGovern, PhD – Senior Program Officer, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
     

Moderator

  • Takeisha Hall-Ruff – Senior Executive Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Panel Hosts

  • Dimitra Koutsantoni, PhD – Executive Director of University Corporate and Foundation Relations, Office of Alumni and Development
  • Venessa Manzano – Senior Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

While the discussion will focus on health care and medical research, all members of the Columbia community with an interest in foundation funding are welcome to attend.

Special Thanks
This session is co-hosted with Columbia’s Office of Faculty Advancement. We would like to thank Dima Amso, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, Vina Tran, Associate Provost for Faculty Advancement,  and Dimitra Koutsantoni, Executive Director of University Corporate and Foundation Relations, Office of Alumni and Development, for co-organizing this session.

 

Previous Sessions 

 

Funding Forward: Strategies for Securing Foundation Funding in the Sciences and Engineering

Date: June 6, 2025 
Slides and Materials: <links> 


Funding Forward: Strategies for Securing Foundation Funding in the Sciences and Engineering

Date: June 6, 2025 
Slides and Materials: <links> 

FAQs

Who can attend the webinars? 
All Columbia University affiliates—including faculty, researchers, and administrators—are welcome. Sessions may be especially relevant for early-career investigators or faculty exploring new funding pathways.

Can I suggest a topic for a future session?
Yes. Please email suggestions to [email protected].

I have a different question. 
We welcome your questions. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. 

Research Funding Resources 

  • [Columbia’s Grant Discovery Database <hyperlink PIVOT>] 

  • [Foundation and Corporate Support Resources]

  • [Proposal Templates and Budget Tools]

  • [Federal Funding Databases and Guides]

  • [Faculty Development Workshops]

About the Series Organizers

Funding Forward is developed and led by the Office of Research Initiatives and Development, in partnership with internal and external collaborators across Columbia. The series reflects the University’s commitment to enabling research excellence through strategic engagement and institutional support.