Bristol-Myers Squibb Becomes a Founding Sponsor of the Princeton Catalysis Initiative

The Princeton Catalysis Initiative (PCI) continues to gain momentum through a new partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS; NYSE:BMY). Building upon existing relationships with the Department of Chemistry, Bristol-Myers Squibb agreed to a 10-year collaboration that expands the relationship to researchers across campus using or developing innovative catalytic methods.

Through collaborations with researchers in the Department of Chemistry over the last three years, BMS and Princeton have conducted collaborative basic research of mutual interest while leveraging the two sites close proximity to foster a robust exchange of scientific ideas in the areas of top-flight synthetic chemical research.  This new collaboration with PCI aims to build relationships with groups beyond the Department of Chemistry that can benefit from new catalytic tools with a focus on exploiting a collaborative enterprise among molecular, physical, biological, and social scientistsconducting high impact research from many different departments on the Princeton campus and across many fields of study.  Through this new mechanism, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Princeton will facilitate interdisciplinary research and encourage the cooperation of scientists and engineers working in distinct and traditionally isolated areas of catalysis with the expectation that this will result in innovative thinking, novel technologies and ground-breaking applications.  

Barry Rand, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment remarked, “I had been looking to conduct research in other domains, in an effort to move outside my conventional comfort zones. PCI funding is allowing me to do just that, working in a new area with new collaborators. For the future of science and emerging technologies, this is exactly the type of work that needs to be supported.”

“Research in my lab, and others within the department,” notes Abigail Doyle, the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry, “has been greatly augmented by our well-established relationship with BMS. I’m delighted to see that relationship grow and extend to researchers in other departments enabling collaborations among us to bring mutually innovative solutions to problems beyond our current scope.”

Percy Carter, Head of Discovery Chemistry and Molecular Technologies, Drug Discovery Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb stated “We deeply value the perspective of fundamental, basic research that Princeton chemists bring to our existing collaboration. We are eager to gain that perspective across a wider range of disciplines at Princeton University through this partnership with PCI.”

PCI convened its inaugural symposium in January 2018 bringing together 28 professors from across the University to share brief research updates in hopes of generating new research collaborations. This January, the second annual symposium will extend over two days and hear from over 40 Princeton researchers across a wider range of departments.