Interdisciplinary Research Receives NSF Grants

NSF has announced the first 11 awards, worth a total of $9.7 million, in a program to address complicated, interdisciplinary research questions. The Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research & Education (INSPIRE) awards include grants to design and manufacture resorbable electronics, optimize DNA manufacturing processes, and understand the molecular basis of bacterial decision making. The INSPIRE awards were established earlier this year, and 40 awards totaling $30.4 million will be given out in 2012. While the maximum award is $1 million in 2012, it will rise to $3 million in 2013 under the proposed NSF budget. “INSPIRE is a great example of the vital role NSF plays in supporting highly innovative research and education projects at the intersections of traditional disciplines in science and engineering,” NSF Director Subra Suresh says.