Catalyst Grants Reward Research Visualization
- Digital Science has selected two U.S.-based teams as recipients of its 2025 Catalyst Grants, recognizing their work in advancing research through innovative data‑visualization tools.
- The winning projects aim to make scientific influence more transparent and easier to understand across disciplines.
- Their solutions are expected to support researchers, institutions, publishers and funders seeking clearer insights into research impact.
Two Projects Focused on Research Transparency
Digital Science announced that its 2025 Catalyst Grants will support FigureTwo and Pathfinder, two teams developing new ways to visualize scientific information. Both projects aim to help the global research community better understand how ideas spread and how results can be shared more effectively. Their work aligns with the growing demand for tools that make research outputs more accessible and traceable. The funding will allow each team to refine their platforms and prepare them for broader adoption.
FigureTwo focuses on transforming static scientific figures into interactive, data‑connected visuals. The platform is designed to help researchers and publishers create FAIR‑compliant figures that are citable, mobile‑ready and easier to explore. Its approach aims to improve transparency and reduce the time spent preparing publication‑quality visuals. Pathfinder, developed by Syntheos, takes a different approach by mapping how ideas move across more than 100,000 research communities.
Mapping Influence and Improving Research Communication
Pathfinder automatically converts research data into readable maps and narrative explanations that link directly to original papers. This helps researchers, institutions and funders identify where their work is having an impact and where new opportunities may emerge. The tool is designed to move beyond simple citation counts by offering verifiable histories of how ideas evolve. Its creators aim to make reproducible, traceable impact a standard part of scientific communication.
Leaders from both teams expressed enthusiasm about the recognition. FigureTwo CEO Jeff Lang highlighted the importance of joining the broader scholarly‑communication infrastructure, noting plans for a full launch in 2026. He said the platform will support interactive figures, long‑term preservation and responsible AI‑driven automation. Syntheos CEO Caleb Smith emphasized that the grant will help strengthen Pathfinder’s trust layer as it transitions from prototype to standard.
Digital Science Highlights Innovation in Visualization
Digital Science executives praised the winners for their contributions to research visualization. CEO Dr. Daniel Hook said the Catalyst Grants aim to support innovations that benefit individual researchers and the wider research ecosystem. He noted that both teams addressed critical challenges in understanding research influence and communicating results. Director of Portfolio Development Steve Scott added that the 2025 theme of data visualization attracted strong entries at the intersection of science, design and data.
Scott said FigureTwo impressed evaluators with its publishing expertise and product design. Pathfinder, he noted, brings deep experience in bibliometrics and science mapping, aligning well with Digital Science’s existing tools. Both teams are expected to deliver meaningful advancements in the coming year. Their work reflects a broader trend toward data‑driven insights in scholarly communication.
Data‑visualization tools have become increasingly important as research output continues to grow worldwide. Bibliometric mapping and interactive figures are gaining traction among publishers and institutions seeking clearer ways to evaluate scientific influence. Many funding agencies now require more transparent reporting of research outcomes, making tools like FigureTwo and Pathfinder particularly timely. The Catalyst Grant program has a history of supporting early‑stage innovations that later become widely adopted across the research ecosystem.
