Faculty members from Arkansas Tech University (ATU) in Russellville and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) have collaborated to earn $800,000 in funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop the Bolstering University Infrastructure for Leading Development in Research (BUILD) initiative.
BUILD endeavors to leverage ATU and UAPB’s roles in rural economic development within their immediate service areas by improving their institutional positions to participate in Arkansas’ statewide research ecosystem. Each institution will receive a $400,000 award.
Dr. Georgeanna Wright, University Honors director and assistant professor of health informatics at ATU, is leading the successful application for and forthcoming implementation of the grant. She is Arkansas Tech’s principal investigator for BUILD. Dr. Sarah Gordon, former dean of the ATU Graduate College, and Janet Wood, ATU director of research and sponsored programs, are ATU’s co-principal investigators on the project.
Dr. Zeeshan Habeeb, UAPB associate professor of chemistry, serves as UAPB’s principal investigator for BUILD. Dr. Emad Badradeen, UAPB research assistant professor, and Dr. David Fernandez, interim dean of the UAPB Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, are co-principal investigators.
“Through this project, these universities will each grow research capacity by aligning faculty research with regional partnership opportunities, expanding existing partnerships that currently depend on individual faculty into more sustainable collaborations, building partnerships that better meet employer needs, and fully leverage university capabilities and addressing the regional brain drain due to underemployed or relocation of STEM talent,” said Wright. “BUILD aims to create a robust research development enterprise, leading to a revitalized rural economic ecosystem, inclusive STEM workforce growth, and strengthened regional economic competitiveness.”
BUILD will use gap analysis, program and project evaluation, and shared governance among faculty and staff to improve and implement policies and procedures and build sustainable partnerships with regional industries.
“This work will enhance institutional research infrastructure to secure competitive funding and conduct impactful research at both ATU and UAPB,” said Wright.
Funding for the BUILD initiative was made available through the NSF Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program. Wright expressed appreciation to Jennifer Fowler, director of the Arkansas National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and SURGE Arkansas for their assistance in helping the BUILD team obtain the $800,000 in grant funding.
According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, “this year’s cohort of 48 higher education institutions across the United States, EPIIC awardees includes four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs): Hampton University in Virginia, Tuskegee University in Alabama, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.”
