Interfaculty Initiatives

Given the complex and multifaceted nature of today’s challenges, the ability to work across disciplinary and institutional boundaries is critically important. The Office of the Provost works to facilitate this collaboration across Schools, faculties, and departments in a variety of ways—most notably in the form of seed funding and oversight for certain large-scale, cross-School, faculty-led initiatives.  

The first of these “Interfaculty Initiatives” were created in the 1990s. Since that time, Harvard’s leadership and faculty have worked to create a wide range of Interfaculty Initiatives that address pressing social and intellectual needs. Of course, much of the University’s work is inherently interdisciplinary, and there are many School-based programs and centers that work collaboratively beyond their home Schools and departments. Formal Interfaculty Initiatives, listed below, have substantial faculty involvement from multiple Schools and report directly to the provost or jointly to the provost and a dean.

Harvard’s Interfaculty Initiatives reflect the collaborative effort that promises to advance research on some of the most important issues of our time.

Arts and Culture

International

Science

Social Sciences

Health

Other