Research has long been at the heart of Penn’s academic mission. Today, the stakes and opportunities have never been greater.
Accelerating Impact
Reimagining Penn’s research enterprise for a changing world
Spring 2026
As funding models evolve and artificial intelligence reshapes discovery, David Meaney, Vice Provost for Research and the Solomon R. Pollack Professor at Penn Engineering, is guiding the University toward a more agile and impact-driven research model—one that depends on visionary partnerships to accelerate breakthroughs and advance the most promising new ideas.
Q: Penn has long been recognized as a global research powerhouse. How would you characterize Penn’s research identity today? What differentiates Penn’s approach to research and innovation from that of other institutions?
David Meaney: Penn is exceptionally good at putting ideas to work. We generate insights across the spectrum—from CAR T cell therapies and mRNA technology, to policy innovation and the ways we think about the composition of the workforce—and we translate them into practice. Our ability to span the full arc from fundamental discovery to implementation is part of our secret sauce.
What differentiates us is both the range of what we do and our intentional focus on impact. Historically, Penn has done that extraordinarily well, and we’re positioned to do even more in the future.
Q: Penn Forward, the University’s current strategic planning initiative, places research at the core of advancing Penn’s mission. What can you share about your work leading the Research Strategy and Financing working group, and how do you see Penn’s research engine evolving in the coming years?
DM: Three strong themes have emerged as part of Penn Forward. First, we need to deepen our partnerships with industry so that we become even more agile in moving ideas to market. As our research becomes more practical and more directly useful to society, industry partners should be engaged from the earliest stages of an idea all the way through product development. Our faculty increasingly see this as a critical dimension of their scholarship, and these partnerships will further strengthen Penn’s role as an economic engine in the region. Second, we are advancing what we call the “One Penn” research ecosystem, making it far easier for scholars to find collaborators across disciplines and schools. At a university of our size, we have extraordinary expertise, but we need more robust ways to connect with one another. Third, we need to consider new funding models that will allow us to strategically deploy resources for bold, unproven ideas that need early support to fully develop.
We are advancing what we call the ‘One Penn’ research ecosystem, making it far easier for scholars to find collaborators across disciplines and schools.”David Meaney
Vice Provost for Research
Solomon R. Pollack Professor at Penn Engineering
Q: Artificial intelligence is reshaping every field of inquiry. How is Penn leveraging AI to accelerate research discovery, and what opportunities do you see ahead for AI-driven breakthroughs?
DM: AI is going to have a profound impact on the research enterprise. The speed at which we can make discoveries is accelerating rapidly. Breakthroughs often happen when ideas from different fields converge. Take optogenetics—a technique that lets scientists control cell activity using light. The foundational technologies existed for decades before researchers connected them in a new way and transformed medicine. AI is an accelerant for exactly that kind of synthesis. It can absorb vast bodies of knowledge across disciplines and help optimize how we design and conduct experiments.
At Penn, we’re leaning in through efforts like our new AI Fellows Program, which supports emerging leaders whose research engages with artificial intelligence and its implications for society. We’re also providing competitive research awards to faculty pursuing the most promising AI-driven projects across a range of disciplines. The pace—and scope—of impact will be extraordinary.
Q: With changes in the traditional funding environment, how is Penn rethinking its research financing model to ensure long-term sustainability and impact?
DM: Federal research funding has been the foundation of American research universities since World War II, and Penn is no exception. It supports everything from fundamental discoveries in basic science to clinical trials that determine which treatments work. This kind of funding is a vital national infrastructure that drives discovery, strengthens the economy, and improves lives. At a moment of rapid scientific change, maintaining a strong federal partnership is essential.
At the same time, research itself is evolving. Interdisciplinary, AI-enabled discovery moves faster than established funding cycles. Traditionally, federal grants are directed toward proven concepts, and it can take time for funding to materialize even after a grant is awarded. Today, more than ever, researchers need rapid funding at the proof-of-concept stage as well as support for the “last mile” to translate breakthroughs into practical applications.
Industry partnerships are an important part of our strategy here. We are also looking at new philanthropic models for donors. The Penn Engineering Futures Fund is one example of this strategy. Through a term gift, a donor can provide catalytic support for exciting projects—some of which may be able to be commercialized. The idea is that profits made through commercialization can be funneled back to support more research, so the gift becomes self-perpetuating as fuel for the research enterprise.
Q: What are some of the “great challenges of our time” that Penn researchers are uniquely positioned to tackle, and how is the University mobilizing interdisciplinary teams to address them?
DM: Universities across the country are reflecting on their mission, which is a healthy exercise. The challenges of the moment demand it. The questions we face today are extraordinarily complex. Health care is an enduring priority, but now we are also faced with questions such as: How do we promote and protect democracy in a world shaped by social media, AI, and large language models—tools that can both strengthen and threaten it? How will the AI revolution reshape the workforce, the idea of a career, even the meaning of work itself? How do we confront climate change? How do we rethink education for a new era?
These are not narrow disciplinary problems. They require economists, engineers, neuroscientists, ethicists, clinicians, and policymakers working together. Every one of Penn’s 12 schools has a piece of the solution. Universities like ours are not just positioned to tackle these challenges. We are called to do so.
Q: Philanthropy can have an enormous impact on catalyzing bold research. What are some of the most exciting ways that donors can support research at Penn right now?
DM: One of the most exciting opportunities for philanthropy right now is supporting nascent, high-potential ideas. Grand challenges will be solved by extraordinary teams, which don’t always form through traditional channels. At Penn we are creating new ways to fund promising research across disciplines, and philanthropy will be essential to support and expand these efforts at scale. It will also catalyze new collaborations, bringing together researchers across schools who might not otherwise find one another and giving them the runway to pursue bold questions. Universities are very good at imagining new solutions that need to be tested. Supporting the most creative ideas to see if we can get closer to a solution will be key for our future.
Philanthropy also plays a critical role in the “last mile”—the final experiments or proof points needed before an idea becomes a startup or secures major external funding. There are very few mechanisms to support this crucial stage, yet it’s often where breakthroughs either move forward or stall. In all of this, speed matters. Flexible, visionary philanthropy allows us to move at the pace discovery now demands.
For more information about supporting research at Penn, contact Kim Grube, Senior Associate Vice President of University Strategic Giving and Partnerships, at (215) 746-3007 or kimgrube@upenn.edu.
