Academic leaders from across the nation convened to discuss interdisciplinary science and education at the 2011 FIRE Symposium at the University of Colorado Boulder. In this session, experts discuss creating knowledge networks; methods for proposal design and review; and research funding. Phil DiStefano - University of Colorado; Carla Shatz - Stanford University; Keith Yamamoto - University of California; James Gentile - Research Corporation for Science Advancement; James Collins - Arizona State University; Robert Tjian - Howard Hughes Medical Institute