The political landscape, particularly the attacks on higher education funding during the Trump era, has underscored the vulnerability of relying solely on traditional public support for university research. To ensure resilience and continued discovery, we need to think creatively about funding.

This space is for discussing and developing alternative funding models for graduate research. We've gathered a diverse set of initial ideas aiming to be both practical and forward-thinking – think research spin-offs, industry consortia, community partnerships, crowdfunding, direct support programs, and more.

We need your collective intelligence to move these from brainstorm to potential reality. Please:

• Explore the ideas listed in this forum.
• Vote for those you find most compelling. (at the bottom of each post)

• Share your insights: What are the strengths, weaknesses, potential pitfalls, or ways to improve each concept?
• Contribute your own suggestions. (At the bottom of each post using the comments options!)

Let's build a diverse portfolio of funding strategies to empower the next generation of research!