{"id":23484,"date":"2018-07-16T11:57:26","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T15:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencescosmaincms.cm.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=23484"},"modified":"2018-07-16T11:57:26","modified_gmt":"2018-07-16T15:57:26","slug":"college-of-sciences-sets-new-research-funding-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/college-of-sciences-sets-new-research-funding-record\/","title":{"rendered":"College of Sciences Sets New Research Funding Record"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chemistry graduate student Demetrius A. Vazquez-Molina (left) and chemistry professor Fernando Uribe-Romo (right).<\/p>\n

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The University of Central Florida received a record $183 million in research funding for 2018.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a 23 percent increase from last year and a 37 percent increase from 2015.<\/p>\n

Among the many projects that helped propel UCF\u2019s research funding to its highest ever are the management of one of the world\u2019s most powerful\u00a0fully operational radio telescopes<\/a>, a state-of-the art\u00a0PTSD mixed-reality treatment program for the military and first responders<\/a>\u00a0and the creation of a\u00a0Veterans Legacy Program<\/a>\u00a0to ensure veterans\u2019 stories are recorded for new generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cUCF\u2019s record-high research funding proves that we are on a path to becoming a preeminent university for the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century powered by big thinkers and makers whose work has real-world impact,\u201d President Dale Whittaker says. \u201cAn institution is only as great as its people, and our commitment to intellectual curiosity and solving today\u2019s toughest challenges has never been greater.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, UCF launched its\u00a0Collective Impact strategic plan<\/a>\u00a0that outlined goals for various areas across the university. For the Office of Research, one of the goals is to increase research funding to $250 million by 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great start,\u201d says Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for the\u00a0Office of Research<\/a>\u00a0and dean of the\u00a0College of Graduate Studies<\/a>. \u201cWe are well on our way to our goal of $250 million by 2020. This progress is the result of UCF\u2019s strong faculty and our new faculty hires working together toward a common goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

UCF\u2019s research success hasn\u2019t been limited to one specific college or to veteran researchers alone.<\/p>\n

The university has encouraged interdisciplinary approaches to big challenges. In 2015, the university launched a faculty cluster initiative that brought together cross-disciplinary teams focused on solving scientific and societal challenges through teaching and research. There are now\u00a0nine clusters<\/a>, each steadily working toward success in areas spanning cybersecurity to learning sciences. Just this past year, the\u00a0Sustainable Coastal Systems<\/a>\u00a0cluster led to the formation of a\u00a0National Center for Integrated Coastal Research<\/a>, which aims to find sustainable solutions to challenges facing coastal communities.<\/p>\n

Grant proposal from the clusters and other interdisciplinary teams resulted in $81.1 million. Another $11.26 million in grant funding came from 66 faculty members who went after grants and were doing so for the first time as principal investigators.<\/p>\n

Most colleges are seeing research growth, including the\u00a0College of Sciences<\/a>\u00a0with a 58-percent increase in funding and the\u00a0College of Arts and Humanities<\/a>\u00a0with a 57-percent jump. The\u00a0College of Engineering and Computer Science<\/a>, which generated $46 million alone, also saw its funding increase 39 percent.<\/p>\n

Among the big new grants that helped make history this year:<\/p>\n