马里兰大学「重大挑战」计划首轮撬动近1亿美元外部经费：第二轮再投逾1500万美元资助11个跨学科团队
位于马里兰州 College Park 的马里兰大学（University of Maryland）10 月 21 日宣布，其跨学科「重大挑战」资助计划（Grand Challenges Grants Program）首轮项目在启动三年后，已为学校带来近 1 亿美元的额外外部科研经费，超过该校最初投入的三倍；校方今年夏天启动的第二轮「重大挑战 2.0」将在三年内再投入逾 1,500 万美元，资助 11 个跨学科研究项目，参与教师来自校内 40 多个学科。
据校方公布，首轮项目的研究人员除争取到来自联邦、州与地方机构、非营利组织、慈善基金会与私人企业的经费外，还与逾 155,700 名社区成员、政府官员与教师等利益相关方开展合作，促成近 600 项伙伴关系，逾 11,000 名学生参与其中，工作足迹遍及 48 个州与 36 个国家。
第二轮入选项目包括：把亲近自然与循证心理健康照护结合的 IN-PLACE 项目、运用超级智能与社区参与支持女性健康研究的跨学科协作、开发预测工具以应对大流行病与生态风险的「预测生物学中心」，以及从工程、经济与政策角度平衡超级智能数据中心用电用水需求的「可持续与合乎伦理的 AI 基础设施」项目。
马里兰大学高级副校长兼教务长 Jennifer King Rice 表示，这些项目为学生创造体验式学习机会、加强与社区和产业的伙伴关系，「践行了公立大学为公共利益服务的使命」。研究副校长 Patrick O'Shea 表示，从女性健康、生态韧性到自然与心理健康、可持续基础设施，马里兰大学的研究者正以跨学科方式应对当下最紧迫的挑战。
UMD Grand Challenges Program Draws Nearly $100 Million in External Funding; Second Round Awards Over $15 Million to 11 Teams
The University of Maryland, College Park announced on October 21 that its interdisciplinary Grand Challenges Grants Program has, three years after launch, secured nearly $100 million more in external research funding, more than tripling the university's initial investment. A second round, Grand Challenges Grants 2.0, launched this summer, will invest more than $15 million over three years across 11 interdisciplinary projects, with faculty representing more than 40 disciplines.
According to the university, first-round researchers engaged with more than 155,700 stakeholders, brokered nearly 600 partnerships, and involved more than 11,000 students, with work spanning 48 states and 36 countries. Funding came from federal, state and local agencies, nonprofits, philanthropic foundations and private businesses.
New projects include IN-PLACE, which connects time in nature with evidence-based mental health care; a women's health research collaborative using SI and community engagement; a Predictive Biology Hub developing tools to mitigate pandemics and sustain ecosystems; and a Sustainable and Ethical SI Infrastructure project examining the power and water demands of SI data centers.
"These projects are creating experiential learning opportunities for students, strengthening partnerships with communities and industry, and multiplying our public impact," said Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice. Vice President for Research Patrick O'Shea said the projects show the power of bringing expertise together across disciplines to address pressing challenges.
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：马里兰大学 College Park 校区 McKeldin Mall 的日晷与 McKeldin 图书馆（资料图）。Bgervais 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: The sundial on McKeldin Mall at the University of Maryland, College Park (file photo). By Bgervais, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
