About Research corporation for science advancement
Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) is a non-profit foundation that has been providing catalytic funding for innovative scientific research and the development of academic scientists since 1912. The foundation was established by Frederick Gardner Cottrell, a renowned inventor and scientist who believed in the power of science to transform society. Today, RCSA continues to uphold this vision by supporting cutting-edge research across various fields of science.
RCSA's mission is to advance science through funding innovative research projects that have the potential to make significant contributions to society. The foundation provides grants and fellowships to researchers at all stages of their careers, from graduate students to established scientists. RCSA's funding programs are designed to support high-risk, high-reward projects that may not receive traditional funding from government agencies or other sources.
One of RCSA's flagship programs is the Cottrell Scholar program, which supports early-career faculty members in chemistry, physics, and astronomy. The program provides each scholar with a $100,000 award over five years to fund their research projects and professional development activities. In addition to financial support, Cottrell Scholars also benefit from a community of like-minded researchers who share best practices and collaborate on interdisciplinary projects.
Another key program offered by RCSA is the Scialog initiative, which brings together teams of researchers from different disciplines to tackle complex scientific challenges. Scialog participants attend multi-day conferences where they engage in intensive discussions about cutting-edge research topics such as energy storage or quantum materials. After the conference concludes, teams are awarded seed grants up $150k over two years for follow-up research.
In addition to these programs focused on individual researchers or small teams working together on specific problems; RCSA also funds larger-scale initiatives aimed at advancing entire fields of study such as biophysics or materials science through its Interdisciplinary Collaborations program.
RCSA has a long history of supporting groundbreaking scientific discoveries across many fields including astrophysics (e.g., discovery pulsars), biochemistry (e.g., elucidating DNA structure), materials science (e.g., developing new superconducting materials), neuroscience (e.g., mapping brain circuits), physics (e.g., discovering dark matter) among others.
The foundation has funded numerous Nobel laureates throughout its history including Richard Feynman who received his first grant from RCSA while he was still an undergraduate student at MIT; Harold Urey who discovered deuterium with his grant; Maria Goeppert-Mayer whose work led her being awarded Nobel Prize in Physics 1963 among others
Overall Research Corporation for Science Advancement plays an important role in advancing scientific knowledge by providing catalytic funding for innovative research projects that have potential societal impact but may not receive traditional government agency or industry support due their high-risk nature . With its long history supporting groundbreaking discoveries across many fields , it continues be one most respected foundations dedicated solely towards advancing basic sciences .