Two University of Maryland research collaborations were selected for funding by KU Leuven, Belgium's largest and oldest university, which is celebrating its 600th anniversary this year.
The projects are receiving support through KU Leuven’s Global Seed Fund, a program designed to stimulate new or deepen ongoing collaborations with researchers from a limited list of priority partner institutions. The University of Maryland was one of 13 partner universities invited to submit applications. The Global Seed Fund fosters pilot projects in all disciplines that set the stage for joint applications for follow-up funding from prominent international programs.
The first Global Seed Fund grant was awarded to Prof. Jonathan Simon of the University of Maryland in collaboration with Tom Francart and Jonas Vanthornhout of KU Leuven for their project, Electromagnetic Signatures of Human Oral Communication. This project aims to advance understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying human oral communication by developing a comprehensive computational model of speech communication. The team will record brain signals of people during natural dyadic conversations, with anticipated practical applications in audiology and speech therapy.
The second Global Seed Fund grant was awarded to Prof. Alexander Philippov of the University of Maryland in collaboration with Fabio Bacchini and Nicolas Wijsen of KU Leuven for their project, GPU-based First-principles Modeling of Collisionless Shocks in the Heliosphere. This project seeks to advance understanding of solar energetic particle acceleration at collisionless shock waves, a key phenomenon in space weather physics, laying the groundwork for exploring the fundamental mechanisms of particle acceleration in space plasmas.
Each team received €30,000 from KU Leuven, with a $30,000 match from the University of Maryland, to support their collaborative research.
The following elements were prioritized:
- The research quality of both partners is promising.
- There is complementary expertise but at the same time synergy in the collaboration, allowing value to be added to the research and for the team to excel by joining forces.
- There is a strong potential for attracting subsequent joint funding, ensuring the sustainability and expansion of the research collaboration.
The University of Maryland recently hosted a campus visit from KU Leuven Vice Rector Peter Lievens, Head of Academic Diplomacy Bart Hendrickx, and Head of the Alumni Office Martine Torfs. The two universities, which are both members of the global Universitas 21 Network, are continuing to explore opportunities to strengthen their partnership through collaborative research.
More information about the Global Seed Fund program can be found at: https://www.kuleuven.be/global/international-partnerships/prioritypartnershipglobal/calls