• DATA
  • TRENDS
  • LISTS
  • HUMAN

How to track research funding trends with your AI

Connect to Stanford CrossRef to turn global funding metadata into research intelligence. Your AI handles the heavy lifting of querying and organizing agency outputs.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I track research funding trends using AI?

You can use your AI to search for specific funding agencies and then pull the metadata for all research works they have funded. This lets you map out exactly where money is flowing and which research topics are gaining traction. You'll get a clear view of agency priorities through the following breakdown.

The outcomes

Where your research insights land

The AI processes raw metadata into organized intelligence.

DATA

Agency output maps

The AI identifies which agencies are funding specific research areas. You get a clear picture of global funding priorities.

TRENDS

Topic shifts

By looking at recent works, your AI spots emerging scientific trends. It tracks the volume of output per funder.

LISTS

Targeted funder lists

The AI builds lists of agencies that match your specific research interests. This makes finding new grant opportunities easier.

HUMAN

Strategic decisions

The AI provides the data, but you decide which funding shifts matter for your specific research or business strategy.

The workflow

What your AI does when the request arrives.

Your AI acts as a bridge between your questions and the CrossRef database.

  1. Find agencies

    The AI identifies the correct funding organizations based on your description or name. It narrows down the global list to the specific entities you care about.

    search_funders

  2. Pull research works

    Once an agency is identified, the AI pulls the metadata for the papers and studies they have funded. This includes titles, authors, and publication details.

    get_funder_works

  3. Analyze distribution

    The AI looks through the retrieved metadata to find patterns in how much and where an agency is spending. It groups works by subject or year.

    get_funder_works

  4. Summarize findings

    The AI turns the raw metadata into a readable report. It highlights the most active agencies and the most frequent research topics.

    get_funder_works

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off your research.

Starting points

These are opening lines. Swap out the agency names or research topics with the ones you actually need to investigate.

CrossRef Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_AljYBYn8CbbL6RdCzlq0XEJ4G5Gemg5NaPOectA4/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — CrossRef capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stanford-crossref-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_AljYBYn8CbbL6RdCzlq0XEJ4G5Gemg5NaPOectA4/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Search for funding agencies related to climate change research and tell me who the biggest players are.

  • Find all research works funded by the National Science Foundation and summarize the main topics covered in the last two years.

  • Compare the research output of the Wellcome Trust against the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

  • List the top five funding agencies for biotechnology in Europe and show me their most recent publications.

  • Claude
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  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Stanford CrossRef once, then ask.

Just click the link to connect. Your credentials stay encrypted and secure, and you can immediately start asking questions in your preferred AI client.

Connect Stanford CrossRef to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI find the actual PDF files of the research papers?

    No. The AI can only access the metadata provided by CrossRef, such as titles, authors, and publication info. It cannot download or read the full text of the papers.

  • 02

    Can my AI automatically apply for these grants?

    No. The AI can only find information about the funding agencies and their research output. You must handle all applications and communications yourself.

  • 03

    Does the AI update the CrossRef database?

    No. The AI only reads data from CrossRef. It cannot change, delete, or add any information to the global registry.

  • 04

    How does the AI know which agency to look for?

    It uses the search_funders tool to match your natural language descriptions to the official agency names in the database.

  • 05

    Can I use this to track specific researchers?

    No. The current tools are designed to track funding agencies and their associated works, not to track individual researcher profiles directly.

  • More questions about Stanford CrossRef? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Stanford CrossRef Connector can do

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