Given the tremendous growth in machine learning research and funding opportunities, The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation has decided to discontinue its award program for Machine Learning in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering.

Since the program was first announced in 2019, the Foundation has awarded over 20 grants totaling $2.4M to research investigators developing new approaches for machine learning in the chemical sciences.

“Originally conceived as a limited duration seeding program, the explosive growth of interest and work relating to machine learning has driven our decision to sunset the program at this time. We are pleased that machine learning has taken hold so strongly within the chemical sciences community,” said Dr. Matthew Tirrell, Chair of the Foundation’s Scientific Affairs Committee.

To-date, research funded by this work has resulted in three dozen publications and supported the training of more than 20 students and postdocs. Importantly, more than a dozen investigators have applied for follow-on funding from other sources, and several have already received such funding.  In many cases, this program also facilitated cross-functional and cross-departmental collaborations that might not otherwise have occurred.

Scott Walter, President of the Foundation commented: “The Board of Directors is grateful to all who have contributed to this program’s tremendous success. The Foundation maintains a strong interest in machine learning, and we will be looking at other ways to provide support. Importantly, we remain in close contact with the chemical sciences community so that the Foundation can identify other new and innovative areas of research where future seeding programs could also be of benefit.”

If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected].