NSF Seeks Proposals For Ebola Research

Scientists who could quickly help in the fight against Ebola should send their research ideas to the National Science Foundation, the agency announced last week. The call for proposals is open-ended but could include basic research into how the virus is spread, new ways to detect or protect against Ebola, or educational campaign measures that could promote prevention. “NSF encourages researchers interested in conducting time-sensitive fundamental science and engineering research related to Ebola to apply for funding,” the agency says. The grants are being issued through the agency’s Rapid Response Research (RAPID) awards program, which awarded quick-turnaround grants to study the chemical leak that polluted drinking water in West Virginia earlier this year, the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. NSF’s move is part of a larger push by the federal government to better understand Ebola now that three cases have been reported in the U.S.