Introduction
Multidisciplinary research collaborations are necessary to effectively explore frontiers at intersections of the sciences, engineering and medicine (SEM). The diverse talents and mutual research interests of faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), and the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) provide an excellent opportunity for collaboration in these frontiers.
Initiative Goals
The overall goal of the SEM initiative is to initiate and enhance the competitiveness of inter-institutional research collaborations in SEM for Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, or other federal funding sources. More specifically, we seek to create diverse teams that can solve complex challenges to improve detection, diagnosis, remote monitoring, treatment and/or prevention of diseases. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Biomedical sensing technologies / new diagnostics and therapeutics
- Wearable technologies for early indication of health changes
- Non-invasive intracranial pressure measurement
- Theranostics for drug delivery and diagnostics
- Human/biological physical interfaces / human factors engineering
- Wearable technology to improve human performance (stamina, strength)
- Amputee-specific technologies to optimize function
- Vision and hearing restoration devices
- Implantable medical devices
- Phone or web-based diagnostics
- Patient transport data sharing
- Technologies for behavior analysis and intervention
- Regenerative medicine / rehabilitation engineering
- Scaffolds for tissue engineering, including 3-D bioprinting
- Cell-based treatments to restore damaged tissue (skin, nerve, etc.)
- New surface technology to prevent infection
- Joint replacement materials
- Wound healing, hemostasis, or extra corporeal oxygenation
- Bioimaging technologies
- Diagnostic and therapeutic applications
- Novel imaging agents and devices
- Countermeasures to chemical, biological and/or radiological agents detrimental to health
- Rapid multi-pathogen / multi-phenotype detection
- Ultra-rapid, low power multiplexed molecular diagnostic point-of-care devices
- Personal chemical hazard detector
Mechanisms
Seed grants for up to $100,000 over a two-year period will be award to two teams consisting of faculty teams from UNL and UNMC. The goal of the seed grant program is to generate preliminary data to increase competitiveness of the research teams for federal funding.
Application Materials
The 2019 SEM Request for Applications is available here
The 2019 SEM Application Instructions are available here
Instructions to UNL faculty serving as the lead PI are available here
For More Information
UNL Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Deb Hamernik (dhamernik2@unl.edu)
