New research infrastructure and targeted AI funding

1. NSF opens a federated knowledge network¹

NSF says its Open Knowledge Network is now publicly available, linking 43 knowledge graphs across health, environmental, manufacturing and other domains. The September 25 launch turns a programme begun in 2023 into shared infrastructure for connecting evidence across previously separate databases. For computational discovery, the relevant change is access to interoperable, attributable information that can support cross-domain queries. The announcement describes ten NIH-supported graph efforts joining the network and additional federal data contributions. It establishes a new research resource, while the usefulness of particular graphs for chemical or pharmacological questions still depends on their coverage and data quality.¹

2. NSF invites teams to translate low-dimensional semiconductor technologies²

NSF announced ELEGANT, a programme intended to move low-dimensional semiconductor technologies from laboratory demonstrations towards manufacturing platforms. Its September 23 announcement seeks an ecosystem coordinator and specialist teams across materials, process design, device demonstration, manufacturing readiness and AI-enabled acceleration. This gives materials researchers a concrete translation route connecting computational work with fabrication and industrial assessment. NSF says industry partners will validate teams’ progress at each stage. The current development is the initiative and solicitation: the announcement does not establish that teams have been selected, technologies manufactured at scale, or the promised translation achieved.²

3. Part the Cloud funds AI-designed nanobody development³

The Alzheimer’s Association announced nearly $7 million in Part the Cloud awards on September 23, including $1 million for Binita Rajbanshi at Nanil Therapeutics to develop AI-designed nanobody therapeutics. The award sits in the programme’s molecule-enabling category, alongside separate funding for combination therapies and phase 1 or 2 clinical studies. For AI drug discovery, the concrete development is dedicated support to advance an antibody programme towards translation. The funding announcement does not report therapeutic efficacy or establish that this nanobody has entered a clinical trial; the different award categories describe different stages of development.³

4. AbbVie and Iambic agree on an AI discovery partnership⁴

AbbVie and Iambic announced a multi-year collaboration on September 21 to pursue small-molecule medicines in immunology, neuroscience and oncology. The companies plan to combine AbbVie’s discovery expertise with Iambic’s AI platform, including the Enchant v3 multimodal model. Iambic will receive an upfront payment and could receive success-based milestones and royalties; the announcement does not disclose their amounts. This is a research partnership distinct from Iambic’s previously reported securities filing. Its significance is the planned use of predictive models within a pharmaceutical discovery programme, while faster discovery and improved candidate quality remain stated aims rather than demonstrated collaboration results.⁴