Catalyzing Global Change through Unified Scientific Endeavors
Written by NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan
Many of the most pressing challenges we face are not bound by geopolitical borders or restricted to any one scientific discipline. Challenges such as the health of our ecosystems or the future resilience of our communities call for a collective response from scientists, researchers and engineers to work together from across disciplines to foster innovation, develop use-inspired research and generate solutions.
?These global issues demand global collaboration.
?In my capacity as the National Science Foundation (NSF) Director, I am proud to share more about a powerful collaboration backed by a $76.4 million investment. NSF’s partners in this endeavor are Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Together, we initiated the Global Centers competition.
Introducing the Global Centers program
The Global Centers program is a testament to NSF's commitment to forging strategic global partnerships. Joining NSF are like-minded international partners, including Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization ( CSIRO ), Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council ( SSHRC-CRSH ) , and the United Kingdom's Research and Innovation ( UK Research and Innovation ).
?At its core, the Global Centers initiative aims to sync global talent, elevate team science and community-driven research, and translate knowledge into transformative actions through convergence research.
?Convergence research is our beacon. It is an interdisciplinary approach uniting diverse researchers to solve specific, pressing scientific and societal problems. What characteristics do successful convergence projects have in common?
?1.???Big problems that require a convergent approach, that is, perspectives from substantially different disciplines.
2.??? A track record for engaging in convergence research proven through prior interdisciplinary collaborations.
3.??? A team determined to leverage strengths across modes of thinking to co-develop complementary tools and techniques.
4.??? Opportunities for a rising generation of enthusiastic scientists, engineers and researchers who want to be a part of real-time research for real-world results.
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Global Centers' objectives: a two-track approach
?The projects fostered under the Global Centers umbrella are ambitious and fall under one of two tracks. Outcomes will inform and catalyze innovative solutions that address clean energy and climate change.
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?U.S. researchers from the seven projects under Track 1 will receive an investment of up to $5 million from NSF over a four-to five-year period, with their foreign counterparts receiving support through their respective country's funding agencies in comparable amounts.
?The groundbreaking Track 1 Global Centers initiatives:
Track Global Centers' initiatives are at a community-driven design stage. NSF will provide these U.S. researchers — in partnership with foreign researchers from any country — up to $250,000 in seed funding to position them competitively for future Track 1 funding.
Diversity: the catalyst for innovation
Many of the communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change often include significant groups that have historically been underrepresented in STEM fields or in the development of STEM research. To achieve true scientific excellence, it is essential to bring diversity and integrate every voice in the scientific process. When researchers from a myriad of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and perspectives converge, they produce a wealth of diverse solutions to challenges that once seemed insurmountable.
?Global Centers' activities span nations. Several projects include partnerships with tribal groups and historically Black colleges and universities. Broadening participation by diversifying the workforce will ensure diversity in thought, approach and methodology as well as catapult scientific discovery to new heights.
Workforce development
Beyond pathbreaking research, NSF's Global Centers have an equally significant mandate to cultivate the next generation of scientists, engineers, researchers, teachers and civil servants. These centers will become arenas where undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and others can learn from the best and be an integral part of research that changes the world.
This investment in workforce development is not just about enhancing individual careers but about securing a collective future. The workforce that emerges from these centers will be highly skilled, globally attuned and ready to tackle the next set of challenges that our planet presents.
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A tomorrow filled with hope
As we embark on this journey, we look beyond the immediate future. NSF's Global Centers are taking a sustained and inclusive approach to building bridges where there were once walls.
To our international partners and every dedicated individual involved — thank you for creating pathways to places where knowledge is as varied as it is deep. Through unyielding global collaboration, we will create a more interconnected, informed and resilient future, one discovery at a time.