Amazon will grant up to $300,000 in funding to support projects proposed by members of the WSU community.

Amazon Catalyst is a new collaboration with several universities, including University of Washington, to fund bold and risky projects, with the purpose of learning more about problems that people see in the world, said Marie Mayes, director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at WSU.

Any member of the WSU community can apply, including students, faculty, and staff. Amazon does not limit the grants to engineering and science; the company is willing to fund all fields of study, including the humanities, social sciences and arts.

“Grants awarded could go up to $25,000 for each project, and in WSU’s partnership with Amazon, multiple projects are to be funded,” Mayes said. “Amazon is looking for ideas that could serve the real needs of people.”

Amazon Catalyst is not a research fund, but rather a project fund to address a visible problem in the world, such as computer security, immigration and healthcare, and applicants must present practical solutions to problems.

Amazon Catalyst differentiates from other previous collaborations of companies and universities in that it is more concerned on impact than it is concerned on research. Amazon wants to turn attention to the problems that people see today that are not being addressed.

A workshop will be held in Todd Hall today to help potential applicants learn about application process for the program.

Reporting by Sang Jung