The University of Hawaii has received $615.7 million in extramural funding for fiscal year 2024, the university announced earlier this month, noting that this marks the third consecutive year that it has set a record for extramural funding. The previous record was set last year at $515.9 million, and this year’s funding marks a 19% year-over-year increase.
As UH officials explained in an Aug. 12 release, extramural funding is “external investments from external agencies such as the federal government, industry and nonprofit organizations that support research and training activities conducted by university faculty and staff.” Some of the funding includes:
- $2.3 million to UH Hilo from the U.S. Department of Education to lead a three-university consortium to establish a National Native American Language Resource Center that will implement training for Indigenous language education
- $10.6 million to the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at UH Mānoa from the Lynker Corporation to establish the Hawaii Climate-Smart Partnership, which will assist local farmers, ranchers and foresters in implementing climate-friendly practices
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health awarded $2 million to the UH Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity to address health disparities in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
- The Institute for Astronomy received a $5.8 million grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to continue space observations at Haleakala
- Windward Community College received a $824,999 grant from the National Science Foundation for an initiative to increase cybersecurity education.
“Setting back-to-back-to-back records in extramural funding is truly an impressive achievement for the University of Hawaii and our state,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos, in a statement. “Our faculty, staff and students have once again answered the call with their hard work and dedication to grow the UH research enterprise, and at the same time, helping us to serve as a major contributor to Hawaii’s economy.”
In the release, Syrmos also noted that “UH research expenditures contribute to Hawaii’s economy through business sales, employee earnings, state tax revenue and job creation; and serves as the main component in the diversification of the state’s economy.”
