ANNOUNCEMENT
Understanding transmission of emerging infectious diseases to help predict outbreaksSeptember 29, 2020
In the past three decades, outbreaks of infectious diseases, notably Ebola, MERS, SARS and now COVID-19, have caused heavy societal impacts worldwide. In order to mitigate the effects of future infectious disease outbreaks, the U.S. National Science Foundation is investing in research to help predict outbreaks, to understand pathogens and how they transmit, and to provide information about how human behavior impacts transmission.
The new research awards come through the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program, which supports interdisciplinary research on the ecological, evolutionary, and social drivers that impact the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. This joint program also includes National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Food and Agriculture - USDA. The program also engages in international partnerships with research organizations in the United Kingdom, Israel and China.
"As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that there are other pathogens threatening public health and economic security. It is critical to identify those pathogens and to understand how they are transmitted so that we can prevent future pandemics," said Assistant Director for Biological Sciences Joanne Tornow. "Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases awards have helped us to understand Ebola, SARS and other diseases, and these awards will help provide a picture of potential future threats."
Eight new awards totaling over $16 million from these agencies will look at multiple facets of infectious diseases:
How diseases that are transmissible between animals and humans can be managed
How land use influences transmission
How transmissible vaccines might impact disease ecology
How an organism’s resistance to diseases it regularly comes into contact with could inform how it would interact with an emergent disease
How Ebola and other viruses might spill over from wildlife to humans, possibly the same process as occurred in the case of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19
Three of the awards are collaborations with researchers in the U.K. and are also supported by U.K. Research and Innovation.
The eight awards bring the total number of awards supported by the program to 180 over its 20-year history.
Learn more about the EEID program and view the full list of awards at nsf.gov.
NSF funds more than 80 startups to address COVID-19 challenges
09/30/2020
NSF funds more than 80 startups to address COVID-19 challengesSeptember 30, 2020
More than 80 startups funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation are creating technology solutions to enhance the detection and treatment of COVID-19.
Earlier this year, the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program solicited proposals for the development of new technologies, products, processes and services with the potential to impact the nation’s and world’s ability to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. To date, NSF has awarded more than $15 million to dozens of startups that are putting their technology to work to address this global pandemic.
"Startups nationwide responded with creativity and a diversity of experiences to create innovative technology solutions in the COVID-19 crisis," said Andrea Belz, director for the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. "NSF-funded solutions have the potential to make a significant impact in the fight against COVID and future pandemic threats."
Visit the our website for a full list of awards to small businesses working to address the COVID-19 crisis. Here are a few examples of NSF-funded projects:
42BIO is using a magnetic antibody nanoparticle technology to capture and separate COVID-19 antibodies from donor serum. (NSF-2029723)
Aidar Health is developing an oral device and platform to allow patients to test for COVID-19 at home. (NSF-2027721)
Aerosol Devices has developed a virus collector that does not destroy viral particles and enables in-air detection of COVID-19. (NSF- 2027696)
BioInfoExperts is creating a cloud-based infection control platform using whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the patient's individual nasopharyngeal microbiome. (NSF- 2027424)
Mindprint Learning is developing a data-driven approach to improve math education and thereby help students in the virtual learning environment. (NSF-2015003)
Omnivis is adapting its existing rapid testing diagnostic tool for cholera for use in COVID-19 testing. (NSF-2028308)
Onu Technology is creating technology to analyze confidential, encrypted data sets across different hospitals and companies to accelerate the understanding of what treatments work and to obtain statistically meaningful results faster. (NSF- 2028008)
More information about the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program, America's Seed Fund, can be found on seedfund.nsf.gov.
NSF selects Sean Jones to head Mathematical and Physical Sciences directorate
10/02/2020
NSF selects Sean Jones to head Mathematical and Physical Sciences directorate
09/29/2020 01:00 PM EDT
The U.S. National Science Foundation has selected Sean Jones to serve as head of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
Jones has worked as an innovator in the field of materials science; an advocate for inspiring and training the next generation of researchers and skilled workers; and a leader at NSF, committed to institutional improvements that serve the science and engineering community as well as the public. He has served with NSF for more than a decade, starting ...Read more on nsf.gov
