Cross-Disciplinary Programs

Solving complex scientific questions requires collaboration across disciplines and sectors, uniting biology with physics, data science with neuroscience, and engineering with medicine. However, systems for funding and training scientists have not always kept pace. Interdisciplinary programs remain difficult to fund, evaluate, and sustain. Those trained in one domain sometimes lack the networks, language, or incentives to collaborate across fields. Traditional structures often entrench those silos.

SPARC works with philanthropic partners to support cross-disciplinary science. This work involves building a more fluid, connected research environment by strengthening workforce pipelines, modernizing funding models, and creating shared frameworks for collaborative discovery. We ensure that promising insights fuel intersectional solutions.

SPARC spotlights new models for training in, funding, and evaluating cross-disciplinary research. We identify levers where philanthropy can help break down barriers by supporting interdisciplinary fellowships, flexible grant mechanisms, and the infrastructure to integrate diverse data and approaches. We catalyze a culture of connection that accelerates discovery to improve health.