NSF Awards $20 Million to Boost Capacity for Research Administration

The National Science Foundation announced last week it will provide $21.4 million to four projects to advance research administration infrastructure and support systems at non-R1 institutions.

The awards are from NSF’s recently launched Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) program, which aims to help R2, R3, undergraduate and community colleges become more competitive against more well-funded research institutions in national research funding opportunities.

The Atlanta University Center — a collaboration between Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Clark Atlanta University — will receive $14 million to create a hub for shared research administration and commercialization services that aims to become a model for strengthening research at HBCUs.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities will receive $2 million to create institutes that offer professional development services and help Hispanic Serving Institutions share research resources and expertise. Pomona College and the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, will receive $1.7 million to study the challenges faced by researchers at emerging and undergraduate institutions, and Iowa State University will receive $3.7 million to implement a research administration internship program open to students from six institutions in Iowa.