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SCOPE
The Biological Information Technology and Systems (BITS)
Program will support high risk/high return research at the
interface of biology and information technology. Biological systems
have enormous capabilities as powerful and agile control systems
for robotic and regulatory systems, and for pattern recognition,
adaptability, information storage, retrieval and processing, sensor
fusion and other information-handling tasks. Biology often performs
orders of magnitude better than systems based on today's silicon
device technologies. Determining what needs to and what can be
learned about information processing in biological systems should
lead to important new information systems (algorithms, software and
systems) and technologies (computer platforms, sensors, robotic
devices, etc.). The initial phase of this program will focus on
developing computational models and theories for the information
processing mechanisms encountered in biological systems that will
lead to new information technology systems and hardware platforms.
While these new information technology systems will not necessarily
or exclusively be implemented in biological matter, the Program
will emphasize hybrid (bio-silical) systems, particularly as a
means for experimenting with and validating new theories of
biological information technologies and systems.
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