U News 1 | University of Georgia tops $600 million in research funding
From the University of Georgia:
For the first time in its history, the University of Georgia (UGA) topped $600 million in research and development expenditures in fiscal year 2024. Its $628.1 million in expenditures represents a 10 percent increase year-over-year and yet another record high in R&D activity, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth for the university.
“The University of Georgia is embracing its role as one of America’s top public research universities, and I am grateful to everyone who is helping us advance this vital mission,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I am proud of UGA’s extraordinary faculty, staff, and students for setting new institutional records while translating their discoveries into tangible solutions that improve quality of life and create economic opportunities.”
Driven by new faculty hiring initiatives, increases in the number of endowed professorships, and continued infrastructure growth and improvement, the $57.2 million increase in R&D expenditures from fiscal years 2023 to 2024 was the largest in recent history. The university currently has 380 endowed professorships, a 40% increase over the past decade.
From the University of Kentucky:
UKinSPIRE (Seeding Partnerships for International Research Engagement), an internal funding opportunity for University of Kentucky (UK) faculty, is now accepting applications for FY25-26 with a deadline of March 28.
Funded jointly by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the UK International Center (UKIC), UKinSPIRE seed funding is specifically aimed at creating a strong foundation for sustained, globally engaged collaborative research.
The goal of UKinSPIRE is to stimulate high-impact research projects in any discipline linking UK faculty and international collaborators and to establish collaborations with new international partner institutions or add greater depth to existing institutional partnerships.
“The UKinSPIRE fund is intended to jump-start productive international research collaborations among our faculty by providing seed funding for travel, hosting researchers here on our campus, initial data gathering and proof-of-concept work, and help pulling together proposals for external funding to sustain the collaborations,” said Tim Barnes, Executive Director of International Partnerships and Research in the UKIC.
From the State of Alabama:
Teams from three Alabama universities were winners during the 2024-2025 Innovate Alabama Entrepreneurship Hackathon.
The event, organized by The Alabama Collective, Alabama Power Foundation and Innovate Alabama, exemplified the power of innovation to transform underserved areas. The hackathon welcomed more than 100 participants and culminated in a pitch finale where the top five teams presented their ideas to a panel of judges.
First place and a $10,000 prize went to The Rising Legends Program team from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Three teams from Alabama A&M University captured second, third and honorable mention awards of $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000, respectively. Another honorable mention award of $1,000 went to a team from Alabama State University.
The day-long event included the Entrepreneurial Exchange Workshop, where participants engaged with expert mentors and refined their pitches. By focusing on underserved areas, the hackathon demonstrated how education and entrepreneurship can catalyze sustainable economic growth.
From Washington University in St. Louis:
The Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) recently announced the launch of a new health initiative — part of the school’s five-year strategic plan — that envisions Olin as the premier institution for the business of health and an engine for innovation at WashU. The initiative, led by Managing Director Patrick Aguilar, an MD, is focused on four key pillars: research and scholarship, curricular design, commercialization, and executive education. Aguilar is a Pulmonologist and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at WashU Medicine.
From the University of South Florida:
Tampa Bay Inno reports that Cyber Florida at the University of South Florida (USF) has announced the recipients of its phaseZERO Innovation Incubator seed fund program, an initiative designed to support early-stage cybersecurity startups in Florida. The program aims to provide selected start-ups with seed funding and mentorship to accelerate business development.
“The phaseZERO program reflects our commitment to nurturing cybersecurity innovation in Florida, reducing the barriers to getting high-impact cybersecurity solutions into the marketplace,” said Ernie Ferraresso, Senior Director of Cyber Florida at USF. “These awardees represent visionary and practical cybersecurity solutions, each addressing real-world challenges with groundbreaking technologies.”
Each recipient will receive $60,000 in funding, mentorship, and access to resources to refine the company’s business strategies and accelerate market readiness. Three of the four innovative recipients are affiliated with USF.
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