Aside from the pursuit of new ideas and tools, NSF has as its mission the promotion of teaching, training and learning, and the integration of research and education. KDI was particularly keen to develop more young researchers working in areas of cross-disciplinary science and to foster partnerships between research and educational enterprises.

The KDI Initiative sought to provide a forum in which investigators could explore innovative ideas without being limited by their disciplinary boundaries. The projects described in this category pushed the frontiers of knowledge and opened up new fields of research.

Scientists and engineers depend on tools, data archives, and information infrastructures to conduct their research. Yet the tools currently available can limit the scope and scale of scientific inquiry. KDI funded the development of innovative tools, which enabled investigators to explore new areas of research. The projects discussed in this section developed new tools and infrastructure to support the conduct of science and engineering research and education, as well as new tools to enhance the lives of people facing everyday challenges.