About the Big Ideas Initiative

The Big Ideas Initiatives is a collaboration between the University of Nebraska and University of Nebraska Foundation. It uses a new approach in helping to plan the University of Nebraska Foundation’s University-wide funding priorities over the next few years. Many Foundation projects and priorities are donor-driven—capital projects, endowed chairs and deans, scholarships, even programs—and that has resulted in much good being done at NU. This initiative layers on an additional, faculty-driven, ground-up approach.

The initiative asks faculty to identify what areas NU is good at—and where we can be great. What transformational opportunities exist that, with private funding, could solidify NU’s leadership position? How can we address major global challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration, and take our impact to the next level?

Faculty teams are invited to submit bold, interdisciplinary ideas that require new levels of collaboration and will likely require an investment of $25 million or more. The proposals can cover a range of outcomes. Although all of them should create impact, the impacts may vary from student-oriented to research-oriented to community-oriented.

Accepted proposals will be reviewed within a donor-interest framework, and will be considered for private fundraising opportunities in the years ahead.