The Office of Academic Integration (OVPAI) recently awarded $750,000 in Multi-Investigator Seed Grants supporting ten intercampus research projects. The projects reflect a wide variety of scholarly pursuits ranging from studies related to refugee health and legal rights, a vaccine that treats fentanyl addiction and overdose, pancreatic cancer, and antibiotic tolerance. This year’s awardees represent faculty collaborations across five colleges/schools and 18 departments/divisions from the Cornell Ithaca campus, and the Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell Tech campuses in New York City.

Designed to catalyze collaborative research interactions among Cornell faculty based in Ithaca and New York City, OPVAI provides funding opportunities that foster trans-disciplinary, multi-investigator programs that aim to be competitive for extramural support from federal funders (NIH, NSF, DOD) and major foundations. Although still new to our campus, OPVAI has already spawned collaborative programs that have successfully competed for funding in amounts that far exceed the institutional investment supporting the seed grant program.

“By creating synergies among Cornell faculty and research units, laboratories have leveraged the research expertise across all campuses to transform individual projects into larger programs with increased impact and visibility. These seed grants have already demonstrated their impact in providing investigators with the opportunity to explore new and innovative collaborations that may not otherwise would have been possible,” said Gary Koretzky, Vice Provost for Academic Integration.

The Academic Integration program continues to attract attention from faculty across the University. Previous research teams have been extremely productive by both publishing scholarly work and securing new extramural funding. The 2021 Multi-Investigator Seed Grant RFA is now open and faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Two funding tracks ($75,000 and $100,000) are available. Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due by March 26, 2021 followed by full applications due in October.

Funded 2020 Multi-Investigator Seed Grant projects:

• Role of ALK7 in Pancreatic Cancer Progression
  Esak Lee, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University
  Manuel Hidalgo, The E. Hugh Luckey Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine
• Understanding the Role of SPEN in Marginal Zone B Cell Transformation using Three-Photon Microscopy
  Ari Melnick, Gebroe Family Professor of Hematology and Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Chris Xu, IBM Professor of Engineering and Director of the School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Mong Family Foundation Director of Cornell Neurotech – Engineering, Director of Cornell NeuroNex Hub, College of Engineering, Cornell University
  Hannah Isles, Postdoctoral Associate in Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Kibaek Choe, Postdoctoral Associate, School of Applied and Engineering Physics, College of Engineering, Cornell University
• Microbial Education of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
  Julie Blander, Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Immunology, Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Brian Rudd, Associate Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
• Determining the Role of Antibiotic Tolerance in Antibiotic Therapy Failure
  Tobias Doerr, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Cornell University
  Lars Westblade, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Michael Satlin, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
• A Stem Cell Basis for Bone Microarchitecture, Materials Properties, and Anabolic Responses to Loading
  Matthew Greenblatt, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Marjolein van der Meulen, James M. and Marsha McCormick Director of Biomedical Engineering, Swanson Professor of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Cornell University
  Eve Donnelly, Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engineering, College of Engineering, Cornell University
• Creating and Validating a Novel - Non-Invasive Method for Targeted Brain Activation
  Amy Kuceyeski, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Neuroscience in Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Mert Sabuncu, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Cornell University
• Role of Lineage Dynamics in Castration-Induced Plasticity of Prostate Carcinoma Cells
  David Rickman, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Alexander Nikitin, Professor of Pathology and Director, Cornell Training Program in Stem Cell Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
• Vaccine to Treat Fentanyl Addiction and Overdose
  Ronald Crystal, Professor and Chairman, Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Tristan Lambert, Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences, Cornell University
• The Molecular Mechanism of Tumor Suppression by PTEN via Repression of Satellite DNA
  Jessica Tyler, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Wen Shen, Associate Professor of Cell Biology in Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine
  John Lis, Barbara McClintock Professor of Molecular Biology & Genetics, College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell University
  Steven Josefowicz, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
• Advancing the Health of Refugees by Increasing Knowledge of Legal Rights Through Digital Tools
  Gunisha Kaur, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Co-Medical Director, Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights, Weill Cornell Medicine
  Natalie Bazarova, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Cornell University
  Stephen Yale-Loehr, Professor of Immigration Law Practice, Cornell Law School
  Jane Powers, Senior Extension Associate, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University