{"id":212844,"date":"2026-03-31T10:49:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/212844\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T10:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:49:08","slug":"usf-researchers-say-531-million-in-research-activity-supports-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/212844\/","title":{"rendered":"USF researchers say $531 million in research activity supports innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>USF reached $531 million in research activity and expenditures in 2025. ORACLE GRAPHIC\/HAYLEY REED<\/p>\n

USF reached $531 million in research activity in 2025, continuing a steady rise in funding across fields including health, artificial intelligence and engineering.<\/p>\n

This total marks a 15% increase over the past two years and reflects USF\u2019s growth and presence in national research, according to the USF Newsroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USF\u2019s increase in research activity is tied to competitive federal funding from the National Science Foundation<\/a>, National Institute of Health<\/a> and U.S. Department of Defense<\/a>, along with a 25% rise in corporate-sponsored research, according to USF Newsroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USF President Moez Limayem said<\/a> the university\u2019s growth demonstrates the scale of research and its impact on fields including health care, technology and economic development.<\/p>\n

\u201cSustained growth like this does not happen by accident,\u201d Limayem said in a March 10 article<\/a>. \u201cIt reflects the reputation of USF\u2019s scholars who push the boundaries of discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

But for USF researchers, research activity goes beyond funding totals and is seen in how quickly research is transformed into real-world applications.<\/p>\n

Related: USF receives $14M in federal funding for seven projects<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zhao Han, an assistant professor at USF\u2019s Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, said his research focuses on improving how robots communicate and interact with people in everyday environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on projector-based augmented reality so robots can visually communicate what they\u2019re going to do,\u201d Han said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Han said the establishment of Bellini College in fall 2025<\/a>, alongside growth in AI research and investment at USF, has expanded funding and collaboration opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore access to research funding makes it more likely that our colleagues will want to work with us,\u201d he said. \u201cThat, in turn, increases the ease of acquiring more research funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while USF\u2019s overall research figures signal institutional growth, Han said the impact of these figures is more evident in the way research is evolving toward real-world applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we see a kind of trend for real-world use,\u201d Han said. \u201cThe robotics field is transitioning into more general-purpose robotics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Han added that increased research activity has also strengthened collaboration among researchers and across fields, providing more opportunities for student researchers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there are more professors and more funding, there are more research opportunities, including for undergraduate students,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Related: USF\u2019s new president wants to position USF as a \u2018model university\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Usha Menon, the dean and senior associate vice president for USF Health, said her work focuses on narrowing the gap between research and clinical practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy focus right now is on implementation science,\u201d Menon said. \u201cIt\u2019s about integrating research findings into clinical settings so it doesn\u2019t take, on average, 17 years for that translation to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Menon said USF\u2019s growth in research activity has gained momentum in recent years, especially in areas such as digital health and behavioral science.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe changes that have stood out to me are the ability to do more digitally related work, including web-based interventions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said these web-based interventions include digital health programs such as cognitive behavioral therapy\u2013based counseling, as well as nurse-led care models to deliver treatment and monitor patients outside traditional clinical settings.<\/p>\n

This shift toward digital health and community-based care is also reflected in community-based research projects, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In one initiative, Menon said faculty and students worked with residents at the Salvation Army Red Shield Center<\/a> in Tampa, using nurse-led case management to improve care.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver three months, we reduced 911 calls for residents by about 85%,\u201d Menon said.<\/p>\n

Still, Menon said rapid growth in research activity can create challenges in managing projects and building trust when working in communities with \u201cunderserved\u201d populations or rural regions of the Tampa Bay area.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be careful not to grow too fast,\u201d she said. \u201cUnderstanding the communities we work in is critical, and that takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: USF\u2019s Bellini College of AI marks rapid growth in its first semester<\/a><\/p>\n

Jennifer O\u2019Brien is an associate professor and the St. Pete chair of the Department of Psychology, and her research focuses on understanding and preventing cognitive decline in older adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really interested in risk factors for cognitive decline and ways that we can delay it, slow it down or even prevent it,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n

She added that USF has had a strong presence in brain health and cognitive aging research for many years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, she said the recent growth in research activity in these fields has brought more funding and recognition to cognitive aging and dementia research.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone realizes dementia is a disease that can be prevented, and that\u2019s what our work is really trying to address,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien said there are often challenges in recruiting and retaining participants for long-term studies.<\/p>\n

Still, she noted that increased research activity could attract stronger research teams and expand student involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes the science better when you have a strong research team,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n

And while research figures do not directly impact researchers\u2019 day-to-day, she said it helps researchers recruit participants, manage datasets and run long-term studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve really seen growth in our research support and infrastructure,\u201d she said. \u201cThat support is critical for us to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"USF reached $531 million in research activity and expenditures in 2025. ORACLE GRAPHIC\/HAYLEY REED USF reached $531 million…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-212844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}