The University of South Florida is ready to invest close to a million dollars toward four collaborative research projects.
The funding comes from the new Collaborative Research Excellence and Translational Efforts (CREATE) program.
It's part of a broader education trend to bring experts from different fields together to solve some of science's toughest problems.
Seventy-two teams submitted proposals for the funding.
"There are so many groups," said Prasant Mohapatra, the USF provost, "They are hungry about multidisciplinary research. We want to promote that culture going forward."
The four projects involve 67 faculty members from eight different USF colleges.
Three are connected to medicine, ranging from Alzheimer's care to bacteria's resistance to medication.
Another project looks at creating more sustainable materials using artificial intelligence. It involves faculty from the Colleges of Engineering, Medicine, and Arts and Sciences.
"I'm hoping that these groups of faculty will work with our students and probably leverage collaborations with the local ecosystem," Mohapatra said, "and hopefully we will have some extraordinary opportunities."
The university will support these projects for three years.
The effort is another step USF is taking to grow its prestige as a member of the Association of American Universities. The AAU consists of 71 of the top research universities in the country.
USF celebrated one year as an AAU member in May.
