Suncoast $30K donation to support summer care learning
TAMPA — United Way Suncoast has received a $30,000 charitable gift from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation to support its summer care learning program across the region.
Summer care promotes school readiness and prevents summer learning loss by providing children from ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families with access to high-quality summer programs and literacy support in Hillsborough, Pinellas, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Funding from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation will support Summer Bridge Books and targeted literacy tutoring to help students maintain and strengthen reading skills during the summer months. The program also provides scholarships for Pre-K through fifth-grade students to attend high-quality summer camps where literacy engagement and experiential learning are integrated into daily activities.
“This investment from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation helps ensure children across our region continue learning during summer break,” said Vice President of Community Impact Nicole Brown. “By providing literacy resources, tutoring and high-quality summer experiences, summer care helps students return to school ready to learn and gives families greater confidence that their children are building the skills they need for the future.”
GVN opens international HQ at USF
TAMPA — The Global Virus Network opened its International Headquarters on March 5 with a ribbon-cutting at the University of South Florida Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation.
The Global Virus Network represents eminent human and animal virologists from more than 90 Centers of Excellence and affiliates across over 40 countries working to advance research, collaboration and pandemic preparedness.
The ribbon-cutting formalizes a strategic partnership that positions USF Health as the permanent home of GVN’s global scientific network and expands its capacity to coordinate research, surveillance and response to emerging viral threats. USF was selected in 2024 to host the network’s International Headquarters, the university said in a press release.
“USF is deeply committed to supporting GVN’s global mission, and we are excited to host this international hub for virology and pandemic preparedness,” said Moez Limayem, president of the University of South Florida. “This partnership reflects USF Health’s leadership in global health and advances our mission to drive high-impact research and scientific collaboration.”
Founded 15 years ago following lessons learned from the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the GVN was created to unite the world’s foremost virologists in a permanent, independent scientific network focused on understanding and confronting viral diseases. The network now includes research centers across six continents, working collaboratively to improve how the world detects, studies and responds to viral outbreaks.
The headquarters is housed within the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation, founded and directed by Robert C. Gallo, who is also co-founder and international scientific director of GVN and best known for his pioneering discovery of human retroviruses, including HIV as the cause of AIDS.
“What we open today is more than a headquarters,” Gallo said. “It is a foundation for the future, for scientific discovery, global partnership and protecting public health worldwide.”
USF research activity climbs to $531 million
TAMPA — The University of South Florida increased its research activity to $531 million in fiscal year 2025 — a rise from last year and a 15% jump over the last two years — reinforcing the university’s upward trajectory in an increasingly competitive national funding environment.
In a press release, USF said research expenditures grew from $461 million in fiscal year 2023, reflecting sustained momentum and USF’s ability to compete successfully for major federal awards and funding from other sources.
“The research environment is incredibly competitive and undergoing a dramatic reset. Sustained growth like this does not happen by accident. It reflects the reputation of USF’s scholars who push the boundaries of discovery,” USF President Moez Limayem said. “They are helping delay the onset of dementia and advancing ways to use AI in disciplines from social work to healthcare to business. Our researchers are developing solutions that improve lives and strengthen the economy.”
The latest figures are reported in USF’s submission to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey — the federal government’s authoritative benchmark for measuring research activity at U.S. colleges and universities, which is typically released near the end of the calendar year.
In the most recent HERD ranking, USF is No. 47 nationally among public universities and No. 2 among Florida’s public universities. Those rankings are based on USF’s $522 million in research activity for fiscal year 2024.
The majority of USF’s expenditures for fiscal year 2025 were derived from federal awards from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.
Expenditures from corporate sponsors increased 25% to $18 million last year — largely driven by an increase in clinical research for diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Some of the top corporate sponsors included pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Novo Nordisk, Abbott Diabetes Care and biotechnology company Genetech.