Case Western Reserve University awards inaugural Breaking Boundaries Seed Grants to foster interdisciplinary collaboration
Case Western Reserve University has selected 10 interdisciplinary research teams to receive inaugural Breaking Boundaries Seed Grants, a new initiative designed to bring faculty together across schools and disciplines, break down traditional silos and spark bold collaborations across campus.
The program reflects the university’s broader commitment to fostering a more connected community—one in which faculty with diverse expertise can come together to tackle complex challenges, generate innovative ideas and pursue discoveries that would not be possible within a single discipline alone.
With financial backing from the Office of the Provost, the Breaking Boundaries Seed Grants provide a strategic mechanism to strengthen these partnerships. By supporting early-stage collaboration, the program helps teams generate preliminary data, establish proof-of-concept and build the momentum needed to pursue major external funding from federal agencies and foundations.
The response from faculty underscores the demand for this kind of opportunity. In the first year of the program, the university received 67 proposals—including 53 applications for awards of up to $100,000 and 14 applications for awards of up to $15,000.
Because of the strength and competitiveness of the applicant pool, university leaders expanded the original funding plan. In addition to awarding four $100,000 grants and four $15,000 grants as initially announced, the university identified additional resources to fund two more projects at $50,000 each.
The review process was rigorous and highly competitive, with proposals evaluated by faculty committees composed of successful researchers from across the university. Applications underwent multiple rounds of review to assess potential for long-term impact.
“It is exciting to see so many strong proposals in which faculty who are world leaders in different fields team up, creating a unique combination of expertise to tackle problems that cannot be addressed within a single discipline,” said Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary and International Initiatives Dan Lacks.
At least two distinct disciplines are represented in each team. Read on to learn more about the inaugural awards.
$100,000 Awards
Photobiomodulation to Preserve Neural Tissue After Spinal Cord Injury
A team from biomedical engineering, neuroscience and neurosurgery
Led by Michael Moffitt, associate professor of biomedical engineering
An Institute for Adaptive Behavior
A team from mechanical engineering and biology
Led by Roger Quinn, Distinguished University Professor and Arthur P. Armington Professor of Engineering
Traumatic Brain Injury-Mediated Acceleration of Alzheimer’s Disease
A team from medicine, psychiatry, genetics, biostatistics and surgery
Led by Adam Perzynski, professor of medicine and sociology
Single-Cell Approaches to Improve Phage-Based Biocontrol
A team from civil engineering and pathology
Led by Bridget Hegarty, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering
$50,000 Awards
Tooth Decay Prevention in Older Adults through Primary Care Clinicians
A team from dental medicine and nursing
Led by Suchitra Nelson, professor of community dentistry and population and quantitative health sciences
Nanoplastics in the Human Brain
A team from biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and macromolecular science
Led by Andrew Shoffstall, Nord Distinguished Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
$15,000 Awards
Molecular and Neural Control of Flexible Decision Making
A team from genetics and biology
Led by Marissa Scavuzzo, assistant professor of genetics and genome sciences
Computational Community Collaboration for Public Health
A team from mechanical engineering, medicine and community health integration
Led by Brian Taylor, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
AI-Driven Pathological Gait Analysis
A team from computer science and biomedical engineering
Led by Yu Yin, assistant professor of computer and data sciences
In Vitro System for Neural Probe Micromotion Effects on Cells
A team from mechanical engineering and electrical engineering
Led by Melinda Lake-Speers, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
