The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a grant of $150,000 to the University of Minnesota to support nanomaterials research led by Professor Claudia Schmidt-Dannert. Professor Schmidt-Dannert’s proposal, titled “Genetically programmable, adhesive nanomaterials as patterned and functional surface coatings,” is the grand prize winner of the Open Philanthropy Project's Innocentive challenge on bioinspiration and unusual biology. The Open Philanthropy Project's science team believes Professor Schmidt-Dannert could be able to design new materials with applications such as anti-fouling, anti-corrosion, and anti-freeze coatings as well as coatings for biomedical applications.
This falls within Open Philanthropy's work on scientific research, and specifically within its interest in advancing transformative basic science.