IU will invest at least $300 million over the next five years in a Grand Challenges research program—the most ambitious in its history–to develop transformative solutions for some of the planet’s most pressing problems.
These projects will address challenges that are too big to ignore — such as global water supplies; the availability of energy; infectious diseases; harnessing the power of, and protecting, big data; and climate change — by catalyzing collaborative and interdisciplinary research, as well as new partnerships with community organizations, industry and government.
Up to five large-scale research projects will be selected and funded between now and the university’s bicentennial in 2020 through a competitive review process designed to maximize impact on the state, its economy and the quality of life of Hoosiers.
The Polis Center is pleased to announce that several staff members are involved with two of the five final proposals. David Bodenhamer is serving on the team entitled “Preparing for Change: Sustaining Nature’s Assets, Public Health and Human Well-Being.” Ellen Ketterson, Distinguished Professor in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences Department of biology is leading the team whose challenge is to prepare for ongoing environmental and demographic changes in order to sustain economic opportunities, protect public health, strengthen Hoosier communities, and maintain valuable ecological services.
Laura Danielson, John Buechler, and Matt Riggs are helping with the team called “Shaping our Future: Knowledge, Science and Governance for Sustainable Water Resources” led by Todd Royer, Associate Professor in the IU School of Public Land Environmental Affairs, Bloomington. Using Indiana as a model for regional and global solutions, this challenge will develop and demonstrate new technologies, data systems, and policy arrangements for sustainable management of water resources in support of human welfare and environmental quality.
The five finalist teams are making public presentations at IU Bloomington (May 2) and IUPUI (April 26).
With the Grand Challenges program, IU joins a small number of U.S. universities in recent years, such as Princeton, UCLA and New York University that have committed significant funding to tackling the most pressing challenges facing the world today and in the future. The program is expected to transform the research enterprise at Indiana University through strategic hires and by substantially enhancing the volume, quality and impact of research at IU. Each Grand Challenges initiative will include up to 30 new faculty positions, as well as support for faculty startup needs, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, equipment and facilities.