The research efforts of three Kentucky universities will be getting a big boost from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Kentucky Commercial Ventures (KCV), an arm of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), has been awarded $8.25 million from the NSF to go straight to KCV’s EDGE program, according to a news release.
Standing for “Equitable and Diverse Grant Ecosystem,” the program was established to research funding and address inequities in the commonwealth, by partnering with Kentucky State University, Northern Kentucky University and Morehead State University.
“National academic research opportunities abound, but many higher education institutions are faced with inequitable access to funding,” said KCV Executive Director Kayla Meisner in the release. “We designed KCV EDGE to dismantle these barriers and give our regional, rural, minority-serving and community and technical institutions a competitive advantage when pursuing federal research grants. Through their success, we can transform research infrastructure in the commonwealth and beyond.”
KCV EDGE — which relies upon relationships with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky, among others — is scheduled to support the three participating universities for five years as a means of bolstering the research infrastructure of each school in a sustainable manner. The hope is that the program will be expanded into a statewide model — and possibly even a national one.
“Adding a grants arm to KCV is a natural expansion of our support for Kentucky’s higher education institutions without dedicated technology transfer resources,” said KSTC President Terry Samuel in the release. “This unprecedented shared services model is already making a difference for innovators throughout the state, and with the addition of KCV EDGE, has the power to make a national impact.”
KCV EDGE is directly funded through the NSF’s Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) program.
“The GRANTED award is exactly the type of investment in our HBCU that we have been advocating for locally and nationally,” said KSU President Koffi Akakpo in the release. “It will significantly impact KSU’s capacity to compete for research grants and expand our involvement in the research enterprise.”
The three KCV EDGE universities will receive support in the form of technology commercialization, grant proposal writing, leadership development and administration and compliance. More than $5 million of the grant will be used for subawards for partner schools to help address institutional capacity issues, such as staffing.
“This award is a testament to the work of [KCV] and the many higher education researchers, who are already creating opportunities for Kentucky to build upon the economic momentum we’re experiencing throughout the state,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in the release. “We know there are great ideas coming from faculty, staff and students on campuses across Kentucky. By helping all of our postsecondary institutions succeed in pursuing additional research funding, KCV EDGE will strengthen Kentucky’s competitiveness as a center for research and innovation while creating high-quality jobs in the region.”
Founded in 2018 as a way to improve the tech transfer capabilities of public universities and colleges in Kentucky, other KCV member institutions include Eastern Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, Murray State University and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
