Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Illinois received a $530,625 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Computing and Communication Foundations under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070), effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. This CAREER award supports the development of a unified, multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) framework for autonomous biomolecular design and discovery. The project delivers an AI-driven discovery engine that integrates molecular sequence design with three-dimensional structure prediction into a self-improving system capable of designing complex biological molecules such as enzymes and therapeutic proteins with enhanced precision and speed while learning from experimental feedback to continuously optimize performance.

In addition to research deliverables, the award includes significant workforce development and public infrastructure components. The project contributes to strengthening the biotechnology workforce through interdisciplinary student training and public outreach programs at the intersection of computer science and biology. All AI models, datasets, and software developed under the project will be made publicly available to enhance national research infrastructure and accelerate biomolecular discovery across the broader scientific community. The research aims to substantially reduce development timelines and costs for life-saving therapeutics and sustainable biochemicals.