{"id":434900,"date":"2026-10-22T14:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/434900\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T14:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:54:10","slug":"usf-reaches-record-775-million-in-research-funding-leading-to-more-real-world-impact-and-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/434900\/","title":{"rendered":"USF reaches record $775 million in research funding, leading to more real-world impact and solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tina Meketa<\/a>, University Communications and Marketing<\/p>\n

The University of South Florida continues to grow its research enterprise, attracting
\n increased federal support and private investment to develop solutions that improve
\n lives, strengthen communities, fuel economic growth and address some of society\u2019s
\n most pressing challenges.<\/p>\n

USF reached a record $775 million in research funding during fiscal year 2026, a 3%
\n increase from the previous year. Over the past five years, USF\u2019s research funding
\n has grown 42%, reflecting gains in both federal dollars and private sector partnerships.
\n This growth expands opportunities for USF researchers from a wide range of disciplines
\n to make scientific discoveries that span from healthcare to cybersecurity to transportation
\n \u2013 enhancing quality of life in Tampa Bay, the nation and world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when competition for research funding is intensifying nationally, USF has
\n achieved a new record in research funding. This reflects the extraordinary talent
\n and determination of our faculty and researchers across the university. We are creating
\n knowledge and solutions that improves lives, strengthens our economy and impacts our
\n community.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Moez Limayem<\/p>\n

The $775 million, which represents USF\u2019s total research enterprise, including all
\n colleges, direct support organizations and affiliates, comes as the national conversation
\n has focused on cuts to federal research. For example, according to the Association
\n of American Medical Colleges, this year the National Institutes of Health awarded
\n 7,400 fewer grants nationwide compared to two years ago.<\/p>\n

Despite the national trend, USF researchers secured a 38% increase in research awards
\n from the NIH in fiscal year 2026 compared to the previous year. Federal agencies,
\n including the NIH, National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of War contributed
\n $387 million, accounting for half of USF\u2019s total research funding.<\/p>\n

U.S. Army<\/p>\n

This includes the work of Tansel Yucelen, professor in the USF Department of Mechanical
\n and Aerospace Engineering, who is partnering with the U.S. Army on a multidisciplinary
\n project to advance technologies for reliable autonomous operations in challenging
\n environments, including resilient flight control for unmanned aerial systems, radar-based
\n sensing and localization without GPS, as well as advanced wireless communication and
\n security technologies.<\/p>\n

“The future of autonomous systems depends on their ability to operate safely and reliably,
\n even under unpredictable conditions and significant uncertainties,\u201d Yucelen said.
\n \u201cThrough this research, we are advancing the scientific foundations that will enable
\n the next generation of autonomous technologies with important implications for national
\n security, disaster response and search and rescue operations.”<\/p>\n

national science foundation<\/p>\n

With funding from the NSF, environmental engineering Professor Maya Trotz is leading
\n a project that combines natural defenses, such as coral reefs and mangroves, with
\n engineered infrastructure, including hybrid reefs and beach nourishment, to better
\n protect coastal communities.<\/p>\n

u.s. department of energy<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, electrical and computer engineering Professor Lingling Fan is partnering
\n with Tampa Electric, with investment from the U.S. Department of Energy, to develop
\n a virtual replica of the utility\u2019s power grid. The technology mirrors real-time grid
\n conditions, helping technicians respond more quickly to disruptions and improve reliability
\n for more than 2 million customers.<\/p>\n

“The digital twin would provide utilities with actionable information about grid health,
\n support better decision-making and improve situational awareness,” Fan said. “Ultimately,
\n success means a more reliable power grid and tools that can help utilities manage
\n increasingly complex power systems.”<\/p>\n

\"USF<\/p>\n

USF Professors Linling Fan and Zhixin Miao [Photo by Joey Garcia, University Communications
\n and Marketing]<\/p>\n

\"TECO<\/p>\n

Tampa Electric’s Bayside Power Station [Photo courtesy of Tampa Electric]<\/p>\n

Industry partnerships like this translate research into real-world benefits while
\n helping drive investment in new discoveries. The private sector contributed $315 million
\n to USF-led research this year, an 11% increase from the previous year.\u00a0 Much of this
\n growth was driven by clinical trials, which help researchers evaluate promising treatments
\n and advance medical discoveries that improve outcomes for patients. More than 700
\n private and industry partners supported USF research during the last fiscal year.<\/p>\n

national institutes of health<\/p>\n

Dr. Robert A. Hauser, professor of neurology in the USF Health Morsani College of
\n Medicine and director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, is
\n working with pharmaceutical and diagnostics company Roche to study the effectiveness
\n of an intravenous medication to treat early-stage Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis medication has the potential to substantially slow progression of Parkinson\u2019s
\n disease,\u201d Hauser said. \u201cIf we can show that it does, it would be life-changing for
\n people with Parkinson\u2019s and their families. This type of clinical trial is the result
\n of collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and clinical trial sites like those
\n at USF.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

USF Health researchers account for the majority of the university\u2019s federal research
\n funding, with the NIH serving as the largest source of grant support. In fiscal year
\n 2026, the NIH awarded $185 million in grants to faculty in the Morsani College of
\n Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful for the scholarly excellence and scientific curiosity of our USF Health
\n faculty scientists, who are driving USF research forward with energy and persistence,\u201d
\n said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the
\n USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. \u201cThey are helping us unlock some of the biggest
\n puzzles in medicine, from learning why children develop Type 1 diabetes to figuring
\n out how to stop Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks. Answering these questions will
\n help save lives not just across Florida, but around the world. It’s a vital part of
\n our work to keep making life better.”<\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of Transportation is another major funding partner, supporting
\n efforts to strengthen the railroad workforce. The U.S. Department of Education funds
\n projects ranging from improving student literacy to using virtual reality for vocational
\n training, while the Florida Department of Health draws on USF\u2019s expertise to help
\n expand the public health workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cUSF is focused on turning groundbreaking research into real-world impact,\u201d USF Provost
\n and Executive Vice President Prasant Mohapatra said. “Leveraging our partnerships
\n with federal agencies and private industry, we can move transformative research into
\n real-world solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about USF\u2019s life-changing research, visit the Bold Research. Real Impact<\/a> website and subscribe to our accompanying LinkedIn newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Tina Meketa, University Communications and Marketing The University of South Florida continues to grow its research enterprise,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-434900","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\/434900","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=434900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}