  We present an experimental study of bilayers of a disordered Ag metal layer
close to the metal-insulator transition and an Indium Oxide film which is on
the insulating side of the superconductor-insulator-transition. Our results
show that superconducting fluctuations within the indium-oxide film, that
proximitize the underlying metal layer, induce insulating rather than
superconducting behavior. This is ascribed to suppression of density of states
(due to the superconducting energy gap) for quasiparticles in the proximitized
regions. Our results present a novel manifestation of the proximity effect
phenomenon and provide important insight into the nature of the insulating
phase of the disorder driven superconductor-insulator-transition.
