UF to spend $9M in state funding on launching of 19 new initiatives

The University of Florida has announced 19 new projects set to receive strategic funding from the state Legislature.

This year, UF received $130 million in new funding from the Florida Legislature. For the first time, over half of this funding will be used for strategic purposes, UF announced Tuesday.

University officials asked for proposals from colleges. In total, 163 submissions poured in to show how funding could help improve education at UF.

The first round of awardees makes up $9.2 million and will receive funding immediately, while a second group of 22 proposals has been marked for potential funding after further feasibility studies, according to a news release.

About $50 million will be distributed amongst all UF colleges and administrations to submit proposals on how the funding should be spent. So far, $24 million has already been delivered directly to college deans for them to report back on their strategic uses of funds.

UF officials say the goal of President Ben Sasse’s initiative is to make the student experience better and increase interdisciplinary scholarship at the university.

Additional plans: Ben Sasse to move forward with 10-year strategic plan for future of University of Florida

“When we asked campus leadership to come up with their best ideas for how to use this money, they jumped in with both feet,” Sasse said in the release. “This was the first round of our strategic funding process, and I’m tremendously proud of how UF is putting these dollars to work. These are wins for our students, for our faculty, and for our state. The University of Florida is moving forward.”

Proposals were selected by their impact on the student experience and research productivity. The funds are all one-time, short-term investments spanning about a year and ranked by its related college as high-priority initiatives with broad impacts.

A second round of awardees will be announced in November, with a third group being deferred until the announcement. The university said all colleges will participate in a strategic funding investment.

The first round of funding will support the following:

Student Life - Comprehensive student housing market study, $200,000 To support UF’s prioritization of on-campus student housing, Student Life will conduct a market study of UF’s on- and off-campus housing inventory.

UF information technology - Outdoor wireless expansion, $1 million. The project will improve student wireless connectivity throughout campus.

Health affairs - Florida’s digital twin, $1.75 million. Design and construction of a statewide digital twin technology program to reduce barriers to cross-campus collaboration and engagement between UF faculty and researchers and public- and private-sector stakeholders.

College of Education - UF Promoting Interdisciplinary Use of Neurotechnologies to Enhance Education, Research, and Service (PIONEERS), $113,754. Partnering with UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and UF Design, Construction and Planning, the College of education aims to purchase and deploy a neurotechnology lab that transforms educational research and practice.

College of Journalism and Communication - News/immersion expansion, $300,000 over three years. The proposal aims to expand student journalism coverage of the environment and small businesses and natural disasters and emergencies.

College of Public Health and Health Professions - Agriculture and landscape worker health and safety, $750,000 over three years. Creation of resources that prevent injuries associated with agricultural and landscape jobs across the state of Florida.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - UF and the Gulf, $413,834 over four years. Creation of a “Gulf Scholars” program in the Bob Graham Center for Public Service with partners in the College of the Arts, Design, Construction and Planning, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Engineering, and Journalism and Communications. The program will promote interdisciplinary research and experiential learning focused on the challenges facing communities along the Gulf of Mexico.

Levin College of Law - Degree revamp and expansion, $600,000 over three years. Revamp and expand the program to award a Master of Law in U.S. Law and develop master’s programs in Legal Studies.

College of Pharmacy - In-space biomanufacturing for human health innovation hub, $1.5 million over three years. Conduct astrobiology experiments in space and on the ground to reveal the significant effects of low gravity on biological systems.

Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences - The IFAS Plant Transformation Center, $2 million over two years. The program aims to facilitate the rapid development and commercialization of genetically improved crops.

Connect students with cultivated and natural spaces to promote wellness, $474,604 over three years. Builds on the success of horticultural therapy programs to decrease stress and mental fatigue and improve the self-esteem of UF students.

College of Dentistry - Virtual patient simulation and AI-enabled learning to support interprofessional collaboration, $162,630 over two years.

Warrington College of Business - Experiential learning platform, $600,000 over three years. To differentiate undergraduate, MBA and MS programs through experiential and practicum programs where students work on projects with partner companies and non-profit organizations.

FinTech Research Center, $600,000 over three years. Funding would support operations for FinTech research centers in Jacksonville, Tampa and South Florida.

College of Education - Project ECHO – revolutionizing teacher preparation with augmented reality, $467,947 – Incorporating augmented reality technologies into an online early childhood education teacher certification program.

Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering - charting the course to preeminence in national security leadership, $316,000. Partnering with the Office of Government and Community Relations and the Hamilton Center, the college aims to accelerate the long-term positioning of UF as a trusted partner for research, policymaking and workforce development with federal agencies responsible for national security and defense.

College of Health and Human Performance - Sport and health leaders, $105,356 over two years. In partnership with the University Athletic Association, the college will co-develop a new educational certificate focused on athlete development covering personal and family health, athlete health and well-being, athlete career management, and worksite and health promotion.

College of Medicine - AI passport for health, $550,000. A virtual experiential learning community enables professionals in biomedical and healthcare sciences to acquire the skills needed to integrate artificial intelligence into their practices and research.

College of Veterinary Medicine - MRI vault, $624,679. Design and construction of a vault to accommodate new MRI equipment acquired through a $3 million gift from the Gauntt Foundation.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF announces funding for 19 new strategic projects