Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2023-05

National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Chapter at NJIT Forum on

Sustainable Societies: Future Trends in Technology Innovation Partnerships

and

NJIT 2022 Research Institutes, Centers and Laboratory Showcase

March 30, 2023; 9.00 AM – 3.00 PM

Ballroom A/B and Gallery, Campus Center, NJIT

Abstract:

Recent changes in the world have been largely driven by technology innovations and partnerships creating new pathways for economic growth addressing grand challenges and impacting the way we live. It is evident that the vast knowledge-base and unprecedented investments in basic and applied research needs to be synergistically augmented by advancements in translational research, market validation and acceptance as well as smart manufacturing, and distribution management strategies where needed. Such synergies to bring global solutions to societal challenges essentially require technology innovation partnerships among research, industry, business, infrastructure, as well as government and non-government stakeholder communities.

The U.S. as the technology innovation leader in the world continues to focus on creating resources and synergies for developing sustainable societies towards healthier and prosperous communities with better quality of life.

The NJIT Research Showcase will feature:

1. Distinguished Keynote Talk by Graciela Narcho, Deputy Assistant Director of the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships,
2. Distinguished Panel Discussion on Future Trends in Technology Innovation Partnerships, and
3. e-Poster sessions of research institutes, centers and specialized laboratories from leading universities in the region. The showcase will provide an open forum to discuss pathways for developing synergistic technology innovation partnerships among stakeholders to address global grand challenges in the areas of sustainable environment and climate change, preventive, personalized and precision healthcare, and data revolution with trustworthy information systems and secured cyberspace. 

Program Agenda

8.30 AM – 9.00 AM:       Registration, Breakfast and Electronic PPT Poster Set-up

9.00 AM – 10.00 AM:     NJIT-Rutgers-Princeton-Rowan Research Institutes, Centers and Laboratories Showcase: Electronic Poster Preview Session

10.00 AM – 11.00 AM:  Keynote Presentation: Technology and Innovation Partnerships Strategic Funding Initiatives at National Science Foundation

                                         Distinguished Speaker: Graciela (Gracie) Narcho, Deputy Assistant Director of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships

11.00 AM – 12.00 PM:   NJIT-Rutgers-Princeton-Rowan Research Institutes, Centers and Laboratories Showcase: Networking and Electronic Poster Session-1

12.00 PM – 12.30 PM:    Lunch and Networking

12.30 PM – 2.00 PM:      Distinguished Panel Discussion: Future Trends in Technology Innovation Partnerships

2.00 PM – 3.00 PM:        NJIT-Rutgers-Princeton-Rowan Research Institutes, Centers and Laboratories Showcase: Networking and Electronic Poster Session-2

NSF: Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Postdoctoral Research Program (PRP) (CREST-PRP); Molecular Foundations for Biotechnology (MFB); IUSE / Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (IUSE/PFE: RED); Future of Semiconductors (FuSe); Future Manufacturing (FM); Division of Environmental Biology (core programs) (DEB); Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Core Programs (MCB); Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs; Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models (IHBEM)

NIH: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T32); Programs for Inclusion and Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE) (R25); BRAIN Initiative: Transformative Brain Non-invasive Imaging Technology Development (UG3/UH3)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: NanoWatt Platforms for Sensing, Analysis, and Computation (NaPSAC); DEVCOM Analysis Center Broad Agency Announcement for Applied Research

Department of Energy: Energy Innovation Hub Program: Research to Enable Next-Generation Batteries and Energy Storage Scientific Machine Learning for Complex Systems; Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce for High Energy Physics (RENEW-HEP)

National Endowment of Humanities: Research and Development; Humanities Initiatives; Awards for Faculty

NSF to Helm Nearly $50M Semiconductor Public-Private Partnership: A new public-private partnership attempts to continue the U.S.’s mission to achieve independence in semiconductor manufacturing against a complicated geopolitical landscape.  Announced on Thursday, the National Science Foundation will be partnering with tech sector giants IBM, Ericsson, Intel, and Samsung in a nearly $50 million semiconductor design and manufacturing initiative.  “Future semiconductors and microelectronics will require transdisciplinary research spanning materials, devices and systems, as well as the engagement of the full spectrum of talent in the academic and industrial sectors,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in prepared comments. “Partnerships such as this are essential to inform research needs, spur innovation, accelerate the translation of results to the market, and prepare the future workforce.” This latest NSF initiative will focus on supporting researchers who are integrating supporting materials, devices, systems and applications into novel semiconductor technology. Tangent approaches the partnership looks to foster include sustainable manufacturing. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Biofuel Tech Gets $118 Million Funding Boost from Energy Department: The Energy Department Thursday announced $118 million in funding for 17 projects aimed at accelerating the production of biofuels across the country. The projects, each of which received a minimum of $500,000 in funding, have the potential to advance biorefinery technology and development and could create sustainable fuels that reduce carbon emissions typically associated with fossil fuels. “Biofuels are a versatile tool because they have the immediate potential to power our ships, trains, airlines and heavy-duty vehicles—a huge contributor to total carbon emissions—with a significantly reduced carbon footprint,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in a statement. “DOE investments are helping to build out a domestic bioenergy supply chain that increases America’s energy independence, creates jobs and accelerates the adoption of cleaner fuels for our transportation needs.” Biofuels are made from widely available feed stocks like corn through advanced refining technologies. According to Energy, “financing for novel biorefinery process systems can be a barrier to commercializing advanced biofuels, and this funding will reduce technological uncertainties and enable industry deployment.” The funding will be distributed and overseen by the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, or BETO. The 17 projects fall into four areas: pre-pilot scale-up of integrated biorefineries; pilot scale-up of integrated biorefineries; demonstration scale-up of integrated bio-refineries and first-generation corn ethanol emission reduction. 

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NIST Debuts Long-Anticipated AI Risk Management Framework: The National Institute of Standards and Technology unveiled its long-awaited Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework on Thursday morning, representing the culmination of an 18-month-long project that aims to be universally applicable to any AI technology across all sectors.  Increasing trustworthiness and mitigating risk are the two major themes of the framework, which NIST Director Laurie Locascio introduced as guidance to help organizations develop low-risk AI systems. The document outlines types of risk commonly found in AI and machine learning technology and how entities can build ethical, trustworthy systems.  “AI technologies have significant potential to transform individual lives and even our society. They can bring positive changes to our commerce and our health, our transportation and our cybersecurity,” Locascio said at the framework’s launch event. “The AI RMF will help numerous organizations that have developed and committed to AI principles to convert those principles into practice.” More information is posted on the NextGov website.