Mathematical Sciences Innovation Incubator (MSII)
The Division of Mathematics Sciences within NSF helps to build strong synergistic relationships between the mathematical sciences and many other NSF-supported tracks through the Mathematical Sciences Innovation Incubator (MSII). The MSII aims to encourage new research collaborations in the mathematical science communities and between other scientists and engineers working in NSF-supported research areas.
Since mathematics are a strong foundation in all other scientific fields supported by NSF, it is often shown that interactions between the mathematical sciences and other fields correlate to beneficial innovations and developments in each field of math and statistics. MSII wishes to embrace and foster the participation and support of mathematical scientists in research areas where math is not playing a significant role.
Modern communication, medicine, and security are just some high national priority research areas that the MSII focuses on and they are also issues that depends on the mathematical sciences. Future advancements in these areas will rely upon mathematical research as it will play a central role in understanding uncertainty quantification and simulating complex data. But it will also play a major role in research on the brain, power grid and photonics as well. These challenging, high-priority research fields will use collaborative research to involve more mathematical scientists and support them in transforming the way the nation thinks and responds to problems and challenges.
Learn more about applying to MSII and its goals
Dear Colleague Letter: Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE)
The Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) will continue to establish itself as a strong supporter of innovative, interdisciplinary projects and research in all NSF-supported areas of science, engineering, and education in 2016.
The goals of INSPIRE are to effectively highlight to the STEM education and research communities that NSF embraces new and unconventional project ideas that include creative, interdisciplinary approaches. They seek to attract unusually high-risk and high-reward proposals that are potentially revolutionary. They also aim to provide NSF Program Officers (POs) with inventive tools to help support and engage in collaborative research and risk-taking in managing award portfolios.
Although, INSPIRE has no targeted themes, funding is given to proposals that embody potentially innovative and transformative research. Because of their dedication to transformational advances in numerous STEM fields which think “outside the box” of traditional review or co-review, proposals aren’t considered if they continue with already, well-established practices.
Find out more about applying to INSPIRE
About The NSF
Created by Congress in 1950, The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that promotes advances in sciences and engineering to help progress the national health, prosperity, and the welfare of America as well as the security of its national defense. They are at the forefront of scientific discoveries, from astronomy to geology and technology. With an annual budget of $7.3 billion in 2015, they are a major funding source for 24% of all federally supported basic research in American colleges and universities and are major federal leader and backer of fields like mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences. Innovators of science research, revolutionary studies like nanotechnology have sprung from the NSF’s ability to determine frontiers, pioneers, and fund revolutionary science programs that change the way we interact and live.
Learn more about SIAM’s science policies and funding