Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Global Biodefense (PERC-GB)

工程研究中心规划奖助金竞赛是作为ERC计划的试点征集活动进行的。计划拨款并不是整个ERC竞赛的一部分，而是为了在团队之间建立能力，以计划集中的、中心规模的工程研究。这个计划拨款项目的重点是确定和汇集应对生物防御的主要社会挑战所需的技术和实用专业知识的活动。生物防御挑战，如传染病和生物恐怖袭击，可能会对个人产生直接影响，并对农业造成严重后果。这对粮食供应和粮食安全有直接影响。应对这些日益增长的公共卫生、经济和社会威胁的一个国家优先事项是研究和开发，使1)快速检测传染病病原体/毒素，2)快速诊断，3)快速产生医学对策，以及4)快速有效地部署这些医学对策。除了快速，这些技术还必须具有成本效益，并可在各种资源有限的情况下部署。计划拨款将通过将来自不同学科的教职员工、学生和利益相关者聚集在一起来解决技术需求，从而推动生物防御领域的发展。它还将通过本科生和研究生参与规划资助活动来支持教育。规划资助活动将有助于确定在面对自然和故意的生物威胁时保护生命和保持动植物健康所需的研究方向。规划资助活动的目标包括(1)详细了解解决这一社会问题所需的基础科学、工程学、计算、社会科学、劳动力发展、创新生态系统以及多样性和包容性组成部分；(2)确定战略性的学术、行业和政府合作伙伴，以及成功所需的特定专业领域、独特的现有设施和试验台；(3)识别利益相关者社区，与他们建立关系，并利用他们的知识库为上文(1)和(2)提供信息；(4)对拟议的NSF ERC的概念进行独立评估和完善；(5)发展中心身份(即名称、愿景声明、目标、战略模式)；以及(6)创建有效的领导/管理结构。如果不亲自将教职员工和利益相关者聚集在一起，这些好处是不可能实现的。这些互动将在趋同研究方面建立伙伴关系，找出差距，并确定ERC的活动和战略的优先顺序。计划资助活动将在为期两天的研讨会上达到高潮，来自合作大学的教师、来自行业、政府机构、资助机构、非营利组织、社区和劳动力发展组织的利益相关者以及学生将齐聚一堂。最终，规划拨款活动将为全球生物防御工程研究中心的范围、领导结构、团队、合作伙伴网络和活动建立更强大、更明确的愿景。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers competition was run as a pilot solicitation within the ERC program. Planning grants are not required as part of the full ERC competition, but intended to build capacity among teams to plan for convergent, center-scale engineering research.This Planning Grant project is focused on activities that will identify and bring together the technical and practical expertise necessary to address the major societal challenges of biodefense. Biodefense challenges, like infectious diseases and bioterrorist attacks, can have a direct impact on individuals, as well as serious consequences for agriculture. This has a direct impact on the food supply and food security. A national priority to address these growing public health, economic, and societal threats is research and development that enable the 1) rapid detection of infectious agents/toxins, 2) rapid diagnosis, 3) rapid production of medical countermeasures, and 4) rapid and efficient deployment of these medical countermeasures. In addition to being rapid, these technologies must also be cost-effective and deployable under a variety of resource-limited situations. The planning grant will advance the field of biodefense by bringing together faculty, students and stakeholders from different disciplines to address technical needs. It will also support education through the involvement of undergraduates and graduate students in the planning grant activities. The planning grant activities will help identify research directions needed to protect lives and preserve animal and plant health in the face of natural and intentional biological threats.The goals of the planning grant activities include (1) a detailed understanding of the basic science, engineering, computational, social science, workforce development, innovation ecosystem, and diversity and inclusion components needed to address this societal problem; (2) identification of strategic academic, industry, and governmental partners, as well as specific areas of expertise needed, unique existing facilities and testbeds required for success; (3) identification of the stakeholder community, establishing relationships with them, and using their knowledge base to inform (1) and (2) above; (4) independent evaluation and refinement of the concept of the proposed NSF ERC; (5) development of a center identity (i.e. name, vision statement, goals, strategic model), and (6) creation of an effective leadership/management structure. These benefits are not possible without bringing faculty and stakeholders together in person. These interactions will establish areas of partnerships in convergent research, identify gaps and prioritize activities and strategies for an ERC. The planning grant activities will culminate in a 2-day workshop, bringing together faculty from the partner universities, stakeholders from industry, governmental agencies, funding agencies, non-profits, community and workforce development organizations along with students. In the end, planning grant activities will establish a stronger, crystallized vision for the scope, leadership structure, team, partner network, and activities of an Engineering Research Center in Global Biodefense.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.