Planning: Mississippi EPSCoR RII Track-1 Planning Grant

Over a one-year period, this planning grant will focus on addressing four goals to mature a selected project concept and research team, using a collaborative, inclusive approach. First, the planning grant seeks to critically review and document the existing research and development infrastructure in Mississippi necessary for establishing a regional biotechnology hub. Second, the project will identify future research, development, and capacity-building needs within the selected research topic that could be addressed through multi-disciplinary, jurisdiction-wide coordination. Third, the research team will develop a workforce development plan aligned with research and biotechnology industry needs. Fourth, the project will also establish a robust framework for an interdisciplinary, fully-integrated, collaborative research project that broadens participation and secures the sustainability of the capacity-building investments within the jurisdiction. Key project activities include workshops, project-wide meetings, and logic-model development. This planning project from Mississippi State University has the potential to develop the intrastate teamwork needed for a future EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-1 proposal on the topic of “Engineering Polymeric Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications,” which is properly aligned with Mississippi’s Science and Technology Plan. The plan identifies emerging technologies in Advanced Materials and Biomedical/Healthcare as foci for future STEM excellence. The polymeric nanomaterials project aims to identify new delivery mechanisms with minimal immunogenic responses; establish novel, non-invasive technologies; and radically improve delivery efficiency over existing technologies. The focus on nanobiology and immunoengineering will catalyze the planning of an interdisciplinary, multi-institution materials research program across the state’s four research universities: Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Southern Mississippi. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.