Twenty faculty research initiatives have received grants from Harvard University’s new Frontiers of Innovation for Societal Impact Fund, which allocated $4 million to projects addressing societal issues in fields such as medicine, climate, civics, and arts. The fund, managed by Harvard’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research, aims to promote projects with potential industry collaboration. University Provost John F. Manning expressed enthusiasm about the fund’s role in supporting innovative work that utilizes cutting-edge technologies to benefit society.
Senior Vice Provost for Research, John H. Shaw, emphasized Harvard’s commitment to translating research excellence into societal benefits. This year’s grants were divided into two categories: Spark awards, ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, for projects with industry engagement potential, and Ascend awards, ranging from $250,000 to $750,000, for expanding existing projects involving industry. Funding durations vary between one and two years.
Steven C. Currall, executive director and associate vice provost for academic-corporate initiatives, noted the diverse range of received proposals spanning health, climate science, public policy, technology, arts, and humanities. Awardees were selected based on scholarly merit and peer reviews, with input from the faculty-led Corporate Engagement Steering Committee and, for Ascend awards, advice from an external panel of industry experts.
The Ascend Awards include a project by Flaminia Catteruccia and Daniel Edward Neafsey to develop bed nets that deliver antimalarial drugs, addressing mosquito resistance issues. Another initiative led by Peter Der Manuelian aims to transform Harvard’s Giza Project into an AI Innovation Hub, with hopes to enhance natural language processing through historical excavation diaries.
Francesca Dominici and Le Xie are working on a decision framework for data centers, focusing on the intersection of economic opportunities and social impacts. Gary King and Salil Vadhan are expanding the OpenDP project to protect sensitive data through differential privacy, encouraging wider industry adoption.
Norbert Perrimon and Stephanie Mohr are advancing CRISPR screening in arthropods, aiming to identify host-pathogen interactions and safer control methods. Conor Walsh, Daniel Lieberman, and David Adam Quirk are developing a wearable ultrasound system for monitoring musculoskeletal health, combining compact sensors with data-driven processing.
Original Source: news.harvard.edu
