What is Mcubed?
Mcubed stimulates innovative research and scholarship by distributing real-time seed funding to multi-unit, faculty-led teams. Through this revolutionary research funding program, faculty from at least two different campus units can form a collaborative trio, or “cube,” and request either $60K or $15K to advance their idea right away.
Cubes empower team members to:
- Keep pace with the rapid information flow of today’s research environment
- Explore high-risk approaches that might not attract immediate support from more traditional funding mechanisms
- Tackle pressing social problems too complex for a single disciplinary approach
- Expose the next generation of researchers/scholars to the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration.
Housed in the University of Michigan's Office for Research (UMOR), Mcubed is part of the Third Century Initiative, established by the provost and president for the University's bicentennial celebration in 2017. Building upon U-M's excellence and spirit of cooperation across the disciplines, Mcubed makes great ideas go!
Mcubed 3.0 opened on October 10, 2018. A total of 221 cubes have been awarded to-date, with 161cubes awarded during the first cube distribution event in November of 2018 and 60 cubes awarded in February of 2019. For the remainder of Mcubed 3.0, cubes can form through a first-come, first-served phase beginning on Wednesday, March 13 at 10:00 a.m.
Click here for important information and links to helpful resources.
Mcubed 2.0: 2015-2017 cycle (Closed)
Mcubed closed its second cycle of its internally funded cubing program in December of 2017. As in the first cycle, each school, college, or participating unit determined the faculty groups who received Mcubed tokens. Three faculty from at least two different units across campus can used their Mcubed tokens to form teams to engage in innovative research and scholarship. $15,000 or $60,000 awards were rapidly awarded to each trio of faculty, or "cube," depending on the level of funding the team requests. Mcubed 2.0 was funded jointly by the U-M Provost's Office, U-M schools and colleges, and individual faculty collaborators.
Mcubed 1.0: 2012-2014 cycle (Closed)
In 2012, Mcubed launched its inaugural cycle, with generous funding from the U-M Provost’s Office, Rackham Graduate School, all U-M schools/colleges, and faculty collaborators. A total of 222 “cubes” (teams of 3 faculty partners from at least two units) formed and were each awarded $60,000 to conduct multidisciplinary research and scholarship. This cycle closed on December 31, 2014. To view cubes from Mcubed 1.0, go to "Find Cubes & Collaborators," "All Cubes," and select "Mcubed 1.0" under "cycle." Faculty who participated in Mcubed 1.0 cubes are urged to showcase their achievements by entering them from the project page.
Read press release, "Mcubed Research-funding Experiment Renewed for Two Years," for outcomes from Mcubed 1.0 and plans for Mcubed 2.0.
The Mcubed Diamond Program provides an unprecedented opportunity for donors to invest in research projects that align exactly with their interests, from global health to education, and sustainability to social justice. Funders set the parameters for each project, interact with the University of Michigan to identify faculty experts to lead their project, and receive compelling updates about the work of the team through the Mcubed website.
Learn more about the Diamond Program.