1. Home ›
2. About ›
3. ND-ECI Services

ND-ECI Services

The Environmental Change Initiative facilitates environmental research by providing a variety of services to the Notre Dame community:

Funding New Ideas

Over the past five years, ND-ECI has funded several research programs and projects to promote new collaborations and pilot novel ideas. Many of these have led to extramural funding, expanding our science and impact.

• ND-ECI's investment in the Transportation Networks, Climate Change, and the Spread of Invasive Species Program led to NSF funding for the Nonindigenous Species Risk Assessment and Prediction System (NIS-RAPS) Project.

• ND-ECI's investment in the Long-Term Forest Change Program led to NSF funding for the PalEON: A Paleocological Observatory Network to Assess Terrestrial Ecosystem Models Project.

• ND-ECI's investment in the Land Use Program led to USDA Regional Conservation Partners Program funding for the Indiana Watershed Initiative

Though seed funding, ND-ECI encourages research that promotes collaboration among disciplines. ECI-supported research addresses socially relevant scientific questions and thus should engage stakeholders at the outset.

Please visit the Opportunities page for more details regarding ND-ECI’s Annual Call for Proposals. ND-LEEF & ND-GAIN also offer several grant and fellowship opportunities for faulty, postdocs and students.

Forwarding Translation through Outreach & Education

Historically, academic research has mainly been disseminated through peer-reviewed journals.  However, at ND-ECI, our goal is to take research a step further by encouraging faculty to address complex environmental issues simultaneously with partners in industry, government and non-government organizations. Through expanded partnership, faculty increase the translational potential of their research to help make the world a better place for humans and for the environment upon which people depend.

The ND-ECI team assists with translation, by facilitating communication with policymakers, industry and nonprofits and press, as well as public education, outreach and media promotion. 

ND-ECI faculty, students and staff work in conjunction with St. Joseph County Park's staff to deliver engaging educational programs for learners of all ages at ND-LEEF.  

Fostering A Multidisciplinary Intellectual Community

ND-ECI is home to a dynamic multidisciplinary intellectual community, consisting more than 50 researchers from five Notre Dame colleges. In order to facilitate new and existing multidisciplinary research, foster relationships with partner organizations and disperse ND-ECI research with the broader academic community and the public, ND-ECI actively hosts events, including: 

• Quarterly Networking Events "Beer and Big Ideas"
• Annual ECI Seminar Series
• Training workshops
• Proposal development brainstorming sessions
• Semi-monthly informal "Brown Bag Lunch" Seminars 

For a list of upcoming ND-ECI events, please visit the News & Events page.

At your service: