The University of Arizona campus shot from above using a drone. Old Main is visible in the center of the photo and the Bear Down Gym is seen to the left.
University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella announced $20 million in additional research funding would go towards expanding research in space science and national security, energy, artificial intelligence, and mining.
UA officials said they chose these four areas of additional research funding to capitalize on its existing research strengths.
“It’s an opportunity to capitalize on competitive advantages where the university has research strength that also align with national priorities,” UA spokesman Mitch Zak said.
The Arizona Board of Regents approved the funding increase from its Technology and Research Initiative Fund last week, which is fed by state sales taxes.
Each University in Arizona produces a 3 year plan that must be approved by the Board for its portion of TRIF funds, and the money must be spent on research in five areas; health, water, environmental solutions, security, space explorations and optical solutions, and workforce development.
In the midst of financial uncertainty at the federal level, Vice President of Research and Innovation Tomás Díaz de la Rubia advised the campus community to “seek alternative funding sources from Foundations and non-federal sponsors,” in a Jan. 27 memo.
The University’s Big Idea Challenge was announced in January, and according to the website the initiative seeks is to “help nucleate teams and ideas and create opportunities for new and significant external funding—both public and private—that will position the U of A as a global leader in the selected areas.”
Garimella’s announcement said the initiative through the Office of Research and Innovation will “surface exciting transdisciplinary faculty-led initiatives.”
The university chose the four areas of research through “generative work,” according to the statement.
“The conversations have been uniformly energetic and inspiring, eliciting many enthusiastic and substantive contributions,” it reads.
The president’s announcement says the contents of the campus-wide conversations will be released as a document “in the coming weeks.”
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