AB Nexus

AB Nexus aims to create high-impact opportunities to improve human health and well-being, demonstrate thought leadership and innovation, and spur economic development. Ask yourself: What challenges related to health and human well-being could be investigated via unique collaborations between two or more disciplines?

All project teams must include representation from both the CU Anschutz and CU Boulder campuses.  This will generally take the form of 2 Co-PI’s with one lead PI. 

Eligible applicants at CU Anschutz must meet the school and/or department eligibility for being a principal investigator on externally funded grants.

New Collaborations ($75,000)

• This award track is for teams that have not previously worked together, but have identified a path for how integrated, joint work could facilitate the study of unique research concepts.
• This track may include projects led by junior investigators seeking to form connections early in their research career or senior investigators interested in expanding their research scope and capabilities.
• These projects will potentially propose more “high-risk” or innovative research concepts, which have not previously been explored in depth.

Existing Collaborations ($125,000)

• This award track is for teams with a history of collaboration, who may have received external funding, and are interested in expanding research efforts.
• Project teams may include junior or senior investigators pursuing interdisciplinary research that could lead to new sources of external funding.
• These projects will potentially explore more “high-reward” research concepts that have been identified as areas of growth in the research community and which are of strategic interest to external agencies.

In each annual AB Nexus Research Collaboration funding cycle, we invite collaborative intercampus research project proposals that address challenges related to human health and well-being (Track 0).

For the Spring 2024 funding cycle, two (2) special tracks have been developed in an effort to best align with shifting trends in federal research funding. AB Nexus, therefore, seeks to support research efforts that stimulate and catalyze interdisciplinary research from the following two tracks, in addition to the original broad initiative (Track 0): 

• Track 0. Broad Initiative: Broadly, what challenges related to health and human well-being could be investigated via unique collaborations between two or more interdisciplinary research disciplines? 
  
• Track 1. Climate Change & Health: Explores health threats from climate change across the lifespan and builds health resilience in individuals and communities, especially among those at highest risk (see NIH cog wheel: https://www.nih.gov/climateandhealth).   
• Track 2. AI, Advanced Computing, Quantum & Health: Explores the integration of artificial intelligence, advanced computing and/or quantum approaches to advance discovery and applications of biomedicine – including (but not limited to) imaging, drug discovery & development, genomics & precision medicine; clinical decision support systems; etc. – that can solve healthcare challenges.

Intellectual Merit: Merit and quality of proposed research; potential to contribute value and advance knowledge (particularly factoring in the novel approach to concept(s)).

Impact: Measurable benefit of basic science, clinical, and/or translational approaches to significantly improve human well-being.

Interdisciplinarity: Demonstration of fully integrated research collaborations and partnerships across disciplines. Of high interest are proposals that indicate a specific plan to grow and expand the team over time.

Leverage: Long term potential for growth of the proposed research activity, including identified or prospective support from external funding agencies. Of high interest are proposals that identify specific external opportunities, ideally growing in magnitude or complexity, and a timeline in which the team plans to pursue them.