14 State University of New York campuses are investing nearly $10 million in annual state funding to expand their research capacity. The funding was secured through the 2023-24 state budget’s $163 million increase in direct operating aid to SUNY’s state-operated campuses.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. visited Buffalo State University Monday where the university will utilize its $40,000 in research funding – part of this year’s nearly $10 million state funding increase – to hire a pre-award specialist, a role that is crucial as the campus seeks to acquire more competitive research grants. During the 2022-23 academic year alone, the campus was granted about $1.8 million from federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Education, and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
As a result of these resources allocated to 14 research-intensive campuses:
- At least 11 campuses will use funds to support researchers through competitive start-up packages, administrative support and faculty release time. For example:
-Stony Brook University will use its allocation to support research infrastructure in new roles such as data privacy, research security, and proposal development specialists.
–SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is using its allocation to support its research office, including an administrative director for TRANSPORT. TRANSPORT is a growing program that is cultivating health equity researchers from underrepresented backgrounds to perform research that informs the development of sustainable solutions to health disparities.
-SUNY College of Optometry will use its funds for competitive start-up packages for new researchers in the field of genetics and molecular biology of retinal and eye disease.
- At least seven campuses will purchase new and specialized technology and equipment and develop labs to conduct cutting-edge research. For example:
-SUNY Upstate Medical will purchase specialized equipment to fight disease and understand brain structure at the molecular level. Both tools were requested by faculty spanning health and particle research.
–SUNY Geneseo will provide start-up funding to support new faculty labs and other research programs, especially in the STEM fields.
- At least four campuses will invest in stipends to support student research. For example:
-SUNY Plattsburgh is offering stipends to cover supplies, equipment, and fellowship funds for approved student research proposals.
- At least seven campuses will engage in other innovative research supports around specific societal problems and expand a culture of research on their campus. For example:
-SUNY Oswego is using its allocation to support the Great Lakes Institute to conduct research around water quality monitoring, watershed maintenance, meteorological, climate, and socio-economic issues, fisheries and hatcheries, freshwater use and scarcity, indigenous people issues, computational and ecosystem modeling, Great Lake resilience, and water level issues.
-SUNY Polytechnic Institute will use its funds to create research centers in areas such as civil engineering, robotics and advanced communications, and advanced manufacturing.
