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A major objective of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is to improve the nation's capacity for intellectual and economic growth. It does this by supporting the discovery of new knowledge and the enhancement of a skilled workforce. Industry can outline new technical challenges and assist in the support of academic institutions. By serving as a catalyst for industry-university partnerships, NSF helps ensure that intellectual capital and emerging technologies are brought together in ways that promote economic growth and an improved quality of life.
The GOALI initiative aims to synergize university-industry partnerships by making funds available to support an eclectic mix of industry-university linkages. Special interest is focused on affording the opportunity for: (1) faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students to conduct research and gain experience with production processes in an industrial setting, (2) industrial scientists and engineers to bring industry's perspective and integrative skills to academe, and (3) interdisciplinary university-industry teams to conduct long-term projects. This initiative targets high-risk/high-gain research with a focus on fundamental topics that would not have been undertaken by industry, new approaches to solving generic problems, development of innovative collaborative industry-university educational programs, and direct transfer of new knowledge between academe and industry.
To meet this objective, the GOALI program provides funding, for example, for faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students to develop creative modes of collaborative interactions with industry through individual or small-group projects, and industry-based fellowships for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. The GOALI mechanisms suggested below are examples only and proposers are encouraged to modify or adapt them to meet individual needs or realize imaginative ideas.
A faculty visit to industry (two to six months) at the beginning of a three-year university-based research project with the intention of transfer of research results to industry by project's end.
University-based support for partnering university and industry scientists and/or engineers on a research project of mutual interest, including joint graduate student advising. A letter from the industrial collaborator(s) documenting the intention to collaborate should be appended to the proposal.
Support for interdisciplinary research or educational projects to two or three faculty from different academic units to interact with one or more industrial partners in a "virtual industry-university group" or network.
Visit of a leading engineer, scientist, or manager from industry to a university, to catalyze collaborative research or teach and develop curricula.
Support for one or two semesters of work in industry by a doctoral student under the guidance of an academic adviser.
Post-doctoral student support for one or two years of work in an industrial setting, under the guidance of an academic mentor in collaboration with an industrial partner.
Support for supplement to an existing grant for high-risk/high-gain research in order to gain basic knowledge necessary for development of a generic technology.
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