Seed is stimulating and funding critical research to improve the lives of the poor. In 2015, Stanford Seed awarded $1.8 million in total funding to support 19 diverse research projects in 19 countries. The award recipients included faculty and PhD students from nine schools and departments across the Stanford campus.
Setting a New Research Agenda
Much of what is known today about the creation and management of firms and business innovation is based on research conducted in developed economies. Seed aims to shift that research agenda — to inform and transform established research to incorporate the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and firms in developing economies. Seed’s research funding enables Stanford faculty and PhD students to spend time on the ground with entrepreneurs and innovators, and increases the likelihood that the research will be relevant and impactful in developing economies.