Fusion Fund: Faculty Grants Program

Design Fusion at the fringe of what's possible.

The Ballay Center aims to support high profile, integrative research agendas initiated by faculty along key contemporary themes with a goal for cross-disciplinary representation pulling from all seven colleges and schools at CMU. Annual support provided by the Ballay Center may be extended for up to three years culminating in publication, exhibition, and public presentation. We believe that seed grants from the Ballay Center will evidence an investment and endorsement of faculty research and help to build relationships across campus.

We work closely with the College of Fine Art’s Associate Dean for Research, the Associate Director for Institutional Partnerships, the Office of Sponsored Projects, and Advancement to coordinate and expand design teaching and research collaborations with industry, government, non-profits, and foundations.

Design Fusion in Practice

The Ballay Center coordinates and expands design research collaborations with industry, government, non-profit organizations, and foundations that aim to create new knowledge, advance scholarship, and expand the purview and practice of design. The endowment of the Ballay Center affords faculty to explore new modes of pairing design with other domains to develop new methodologies and new practices. Within an academic context such as CMU, this takes hold in Practice-based Research (Practice Research) that leverages the unique characterisitcs and affordances of the Carnegie Mellon context – bridging research with practice. Leading with faculty research interests opens opportunities to network across CMU and harness our immense creative capital.

Seed Funding 

The Ballay Center’s Fusion Fund aims to foster pioneering, design-led, transdisciplinary research at CMU. This fund encourages the integration of design with various disciplines to inspire innovative practices, methodologies, and knowledge. It supports select practice-based research agendas in partnership with School of Design faculty with initial funding of $500 to $5,000 before the commencement of work. At the end of the first year, faculty can apply for additional extended funding to continue their research for up to three years.

The Fusion Fund will be officially announced in late 2024 for February 2025 applications. To inquire, please contact BallayCenter@design.cmu.edu