WASHINGTON, D.C. [8/7/2020]—This week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the University of Minnesota Institute for Engineering in Medicine and three academic collaborators $25,999,491 to create an Engineering Research Center (ERC).
The goal of the ERC, called the Advanced Technologies for Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio), is to develop and deploy technology to “stop biological time” through temperature control. This will improve transplantation and other biological therapies by preserving organs, tissues and cells. It will also help drive down the cost of drug discovery and much more.
In addition, the center will provide educational programs to middle schoolers and high schoolers, fund research internships in ATP-Bio labs for undergraduate students, and work to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
“When we invest in education and innovation for our state, we invest in a brighter future for Minnesota and our country,” Klobuchar said. “This National Science Foundation funding will allow the University of Minnesota to expand biology programs that engage middle and high school students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.”
“Minnesota’s universities and colleges are innovation hubs full of possibility,” said Sen. Smith. “I’m delighted to see the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine receive this award. I look forward to following their impressive bioengineering work, which will create opportunity for our country. And I’m glad that the center will offer education opportunities to middle and high school students, as well as internships to undergraduates. It’s important that we keep creating more pathways to careers in STEM.”
The University of Minnesota will partner with Massachusetts General Hospital, University of California, Berkeley; and the University of California, Riverside on the ATP Bio center. The award is set for an initial five-year period and is renewable in 2025 for another five years.
Learn more about the grant here.
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