Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s 2000 Award Program

Winfred M. Phillips, Vice President

Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s 2000 Award Program “Interfaces between the Physical/Chemical/Computational Sciences and the Biological Sciences”

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) is continuing its initiative to encourage the interdisciplinary training of promising graduate and postdoctoral students from the physical, chemical and computational sciences. BWF has committed up to $10 million for institutional awards which will provide from $150,000 to $500,000 per year for five years. These awards will support the development of interdisciplinary training programs for graduate and postdoctoral students coming from quantitative and theoretical backgrounds so they can bring different approaches and new ideas into the biological arena.

The program is intended to promote a different kind of training and a change in institutional behavior. Emphasis will be placed on supporting new or existing programs that will change graduate and postdoctoral training in a meaningful way, as opposed to programs seeking more funding for conventional activities already under way. I believe we have a number of programs which could provide such training, and we should take advantage of this competition to establish an important educational program for our students. I encourage you to bring this opportunity to the attention of appropriate faculty in your area.

Only one proposal per institution will be accepted. Research and Graduate Programs therefore invites the submission of brief pre-proposals, due to 223 Grinter Hall, by 5 p.m. December 10, 1999. Pre-proposals should be a maximum of three pages and contain the following: (1) rationale/vison for the training program; (2) strategies for recruiting students; (3) description of the training program, its objectives, and how the program will be distinguished from existing training activities. Primary emphasis should be placed on plans for bringing graduate and/or postdoctoral students who are trained in the physical, chemical or computational sciences into the biological sciences.

Guidelines for the BWF Interfaces program are available from Carole Oglesby at 392-4804 or they may be found at http://www.bwfund.org/interfaces_program.htm. This is an important opportunity for the University of Florida to pursue. Please contact Carole or me if you have questions. Best regards.