Abstract

Establishing an Interdisciplinary Climate Science Degree Program at Hampton University 

seeks to increase Hampton University’s Carnegie Research Classification to R2 by increasing the

Research Doctoral Degree production. The strategy to increase the Research Doctoral production 

performance through degree conferral is undergirded by establishing an Interdisciplinary Climate 

Science Research MS to PhD program embedded in a National Center for Climate Modeling 

Research. This program will target broadening participation of individuals historically 

marginalized in STEM. According to the National Survey of Earned Doctorates, in 2021, a total 

of 7 doctoral degrees were awarded to Blacks/African Americans in Environmental science, 

Atmospheric sciences and meteorology, Climatology, atmospheric chemistry and physics, and 

Oceanography, chemical and physical. These are the disciplines to be integrated into the 

Interdisciplinary Climate Science Doctoral program to be established through this project. From 

those previously reported doctoral recipients, Hampton University by itself produced 14.3% of 

them. 

Additionally, 11% of all HBCUs are located in coastal communities impacted by natural 

disasters like flooding and hurricanes caused by environmental extremes. These communities in 

which the HBCUs are located are also overwhelmingly Black and Brown less resourced 

communities where natural disasters can be devastating. Yet, only three HBCUs have Research 

Centers dedicated to Climate Resilience, Environmental Equity for climate impact, or 

Environmental Sustainability to support the maintenance of ecological balance in the planet’s

natural environment. Increasing the number of Climate Science Research Centers located at 

HBCUs can further engage minoritized communities in the work of equity-centered climate 

science research. 

To meet the goal of this project, there are three core objectives: (1) Increase the national 

percentage of Black/African American doctoral recipients in Climate Science by 20% by 2028, 

(2) Increase the number of Climate Science Research Centers at HBCUs by 25% by 2028, and 

(3) Increase Hampton University’s research facilities by upgrading current facilities for

computational environmental science research by 2026. Anticipated outcomes for these 

objectives are both operational and performance based. The operational outcomes include (1) 

establishing an interdisciplinary climate science doctoral curriculum between the HU 

Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (APS) Department, the Center for Atmospheric Sciences, 

the Severe Weather Research Laboratory (SWRL), and the Marine and Environmental Sciences 

(MES) Department; (2) hiring 2 full-time research faculty to teach courses in the program; (3) 

recruiting a cohort of 7 graduate students; and (4) having a fully renovated Climate Modeling 

Research Center to engage the community, faculty and graduate researchers. The performance 

outcomes include (1) awarding 3 doctoral degrees in Climate Science by the end of the grant 

program; (2) generating 2-3 funded research projects through the Center annually to grow its 

graduate recruitment; and attaining 75% of funding needed to sustain the program beyond the 

lifetime of the Department of Education’s award. Overall, 54% of the requested funding is 

dedicated to support students with rigorous curriculum and research opportunities and their 

enrollment in the program. 
Southern University, a public historically black college and university (HBCU) system,

seeks support to become the nation’s first HBCU designated as a top-tier R1 research institution.

This historic accomplishment would dismantle systemic barriers facing minority-serving

institutions in reaching research excellence. Southern University has already made significant

strides by recently achieving R2 classification through diligent efforts to expand research

expenditures and doctoral conferrals. Nevertheless, disparities persist in critical areas like

infrastructure, instrumentation, and productivity compared to eminent R1 universities.

This comprehensive proposal outlines Southern University's visionary five-part plan,

meticulously designed to usher in transformative enhancements that will propel the institution

into the elite R1 stratum. The strategic initiatives include: First, Southern University will

establish multidisciplinary research centers focused on advanced manufacturing and biological

sciences to concentrate resources fostering high-impact research; Second, Southern University

will execute ambitious faculty hiring and development efforts; Third, Southern will reduce

teaching loads to increase research time, and provide seed funding to catalyze innovation;

Fourth, Southern University will expand Ph.D. program offerings in high-demand STEM fields;

Fifth, Southern will implement efficient grant administration processes to expand its capacity to

secure external funding.

Together, these multifaceted strategies will exponentially increase research activity,

funding, productivity, and doctoral conferral to surpass R1 thresholds, cementing Southern

University as a world-class research powerhouse. This historic milestone will demonstrate the

immense potential of minority-serving institutions as drivers of discovery when systemic barriers

are dismantled. Southern University’s ascent will create a more diverse and equitable academic

research ecosystem benefitting all of society.
Abstract: Futures Instute (PI: Dr Sandeep Gopalan)

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is seeking funding for the establishment of a

Futures Institute to elevate its position in the Carnegie Classification from an R2 to an R1 

institution. The planned work program of the Institute will yield outputs and outcomes that are

directly related to the criteria for a university to attain the R1 designation. Specifically, the Futures

Institute will recruit 8 PhD students, 4 assistant professors (research track), a proficient grant

writer, and world-leading scientists as research mentors for UMES faculty and students. Together, 

these activities are likely to result in a minimum of 8 new research PhD graduates, 40+ academic

journal articles, over $10 million in new research income, over 400 new citations, testimony in 

Congress/state legislatures/regulatory bodies, dozens of media mentions, development of AI 

chatbots and an App, a substantial increase in student retention and graduation rates, and a system

change at the national and institutional levels.

A critical feature of the Futures Institute proposal is that it perfectly matches the Department of 

Education’s RDI program’s underlying philosophy in pith and substance. Aside from yielding 

quantitative outcomes required to attain R1 status in 5 years, our proposal makes a meaningful and 

substantive contribution for system change. The Institute will undertake research on future grand 

challenges under three pillars: climate change, AI, and healthcare. Critically, the research will 

generate new knowledge from an African-American perspective in areas where there are

documented gaps in data and research on African-Americans. Research on questions including 

how climate change impacts African-Americans, how racially biased AI tools perpetuate structural

racism, and how healthcare and medical treatments need to be inclusive, will produce diverse, 

innovative, and inclusive solutions and create transformational change whilst building capacity.
ABSTRACT: Despite Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) producing 

20% of African American (AA) scientists and 50% of the teachers, engineers, and lawyers 

in the US1 , significant gaps exist in research funding compared to most institutions, in 

fact, no HBCU currently has the R1 “very high research” activity status according to the 

Carnegie classification2 . Achieving R1 status attracts world-renowned scientists, new 

businesses, and talented students to create novel scientific discoveries that address our 

society’s needs from cancer to cybersecurity. Texas Southern University (TSU), one of 

the largest HBCUs in the nation, has established strong partnerships with industrial and 

community partners, health systems, and research institutions at the largest medical 

complex in the world, the Texas Medical Center. Our accredited programs are number 1 

in producing high-quality AA health and doctoral professionals in Texas and our research 

expenditures have increased by 32.8% in FY2022. TSU is proposing to create the “Path 

to R1TSU” project to move TSU from R2 to R1 status by leveraging multi-disciplinary 

expertise and existing infrastructure and technologies to implement 6 specific goals: (1) 

increase research productivity and innovation, (2) expand graduate programs, (3) recruit 

faculty expertise, (4) physical research infrastructure, (5) support human capital 

development, and (6) establish academic and industrial partnerships. This will be 

achieved by hiring research faculty, expanding doctoral programs, increasing research 

support, and research training. The Path to R1TSU project’s outcomes include research 

expenditures, research faculty and staff positions, and doctoral conferrals. The project’s 

success will be rigorously monitored and evaluated for continuous improvement, with full 

commitment by the TSU administration for long-term sustainability to accelerate, achieve, 

and maintain the R1 status at TSU in the future. 
ABSTRACT 

Absolute Priority 1: Funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities’

Research and Development Infrastructure. 

Tennessee State University (TSU) is the only R2 Carnegie designated Historically 

Black College and University in the state, where this past fiscal year over $100M in total 

grant awards were procured, the highest in the institution’s history. To sustain and grow 

the TSU research enterprise, the Center of Biomedical Sciences (CBS) will be established 

as part of the institution’s strategic approach for pursuing and achieving the R1 Carnegie 

classification. More importantly, the CBS will play a critical role in strengthening 

biomedical and behavioral research capacity and capabilities at an institution that serves 

a student population that is greater than African-American, who are disproportionately 

affected by higher diagnosis rates and death of health conditions such as diabetes, 

hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and cancer when compared to their majority 

Caucasian counterparts. As a complement to the expansion of the biomedical sciences 

and behavioral research space, and overall growth of the TSU research ecosystem, 

research administration logistical processes and policies will be enhanced and 

strengthened. This will be accomplished by using needs assessments and best practices 

to inform action plans for continuous improvement. Additionally, a novel collaborative, 

accountable, progressive, and sustainable model (CAPS) will be employed for 

institutional integration of the CBS. Consequently, programmatic structures and activities 

of the CBS and research administration assessments will lead to outcomes and increases 

in the following Carnegie classification criteria 1) research funding and expenditures 2) 

doctoral student output and 3) the number of non-faculty Ph.D. researchers. 
The Research DEN (Dakota Equipment Nexus) at United Tribes Technical College

Bridging the Gap – Addressing the Disparities in Research Access in West-Central North Dakota 

and South Dakota and Among Tribal Nations and Tribal Colleges

Rapid technological advancements and growing interdisciplinary collaborations make access to 

state-of-the-art research equipment crucial for scientific innovation and community development. 

Yet, some areas of the country lack equitable access to research facilities and a framework for 

building meaningful research collaborations. United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) aims to 

harness the research potential of a region that lacks access to shared research infrastructure but 

has a wealth of shared opportunity and potential.

The Research DEN (Dakota Equipment Nexus) at UTTC will reach the goals of (1) expanding 

and building new research infrastructure at UTTC, (2) increasing STEM research and research 

collaborations in the region, including at tribal colleges and with tribal nations, and (3) achieving

sustainable research excellence that contributes to innovation, workforce development, and the

economy of the region. By ensuring equitable access, engaged professional development 

opportunities, and authentic partnerships, the project will promote interdisciplinary research that 

accelerates the pace of discovery and bolsters the research ecosystem and regional economy.

Short-term outcomes include establishing four research equipment hubs at UTTC, increasing use

of research equipment, enhancing collaborative research projects in the region, and improving 

faculty and student research skills. Long-term goals include increasing research productivity and 

quality, growing a research community and culture, and strengthening partnerships with industry 

that spur innovation. The Research DEN at UTTC will be a transformative initiative that will

result in deeper confidence in data and science to address issues in the region, engaged authentic 

collaborations among researchers while attracting new researchers to the region, and direct 

contributions to society and economic development through research and innovation. 
ABSTRACT 

The Blackfeet Community College-BFCC Access to Lifelong Educational Opportunities is being 

developed as the institution is moving toward capacity building into a 4-year academic 

institution. The project is designed to support BFCC Faculty and Staff by increasing expertise 

and human capital development to provide programs and services that are reflective of the needs 

of the Blackfeet Nation and the College’s service district. BFCC is completing a 5 years strategic 

plan to be implemented in Spring 2024. 

As BFCC transforms, this project proposes to support the faculty and staff in personal 

transformation, by designing their own professional development plans that support learner 

designed goals specific to accomplishing BFCC Vision, Mission/Core Themes and Core Values 

under three areas identified in our strategic plan: 

1) Engaging students, faculty and staff 

2) Connecting success with wellness 

3) 4-year program development 

The program will expand, enhance, improve and strengthen all education aspects of the 

Blackfeet Community College as well as the Blackfeet Nation. By incorporate both historical 

and contemporary content of education with an emphasis on Blackfeet Ways of Knowing in their 

educational goals and plan development. Blackfeet Community College is proposing to invest in 

the advancement of skills and knowledge for staff and faculty by ensuring successful completion, 

application, design and integration to support expansion of 4-year institutional capacity. The 

project will also provide staff and faculty mentoring opportunities to develop masters and 

doctoral pathways with mentoring and experiential support. 

The project will also promote the use of Piikani Centered resources. The richness of the local 

knowledge bodies is proposed to be a valuable resource in Piikani research and staff and faculty 

professional development. 
The City College of New York (CCNY)—the flagship institution of the City University of New 

York (CUNY), the largest urban public university system in the US—is ideally positioned as an 

R2 candidate Hispanic and Minority-Serving Institution (HSI/MSI) for progressing to a doctoral 

university with Very High Research Activity, R1, under the Carnegie classification. CCNY is a 

major driver of social mobility in the NYC region, with 66% of our first-time degree-seeking 

undergraduates receiving Pell grants, and is the only R2 HSI in New York State. We have 

undergone a revolution in the past decade in terms of research productivity, with a 33% increase 

in research expenditures over just the last 4 years, making our institution a strong candidate to 

become the 17th R1 HSI nationally and the first R1 HSI or MSI in New York State. Our current 

challenge as an institution is to increase the size of our PhD student population in order to continue 

movement along this upwards trajectory. Therefore, we are applying under Absolute Priority 3 -- 

Funding for Minority-Serving Institutions’ Research and Development Infrastructure. 

The overarching hypothesis of the Translational Research Excellence Across Disciplines 

(TREAD) project is that by growing the number of PhD graduates, our overall research activity 

will increase. TREAD will implement four transformative strategies: (1) building an ecosystem of 

support for PhD student recruitment and success, (2) fundraising to create sustainable fellowship 

programs, (3) germinating translational research and training foci in partnership with industry and 

government, and (4) developing a training and research program in convergence science. We have 

identified three areas of research excellence (green energy, cybersecurity, and nanobiotechnology) 

at CCNY that demand a convergent and translational approach to solve major global problems and 

will serve as organizing themes for the program. Parallel to, and in partnership with these efforts, 

TREAD proposes specific programming to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of our 

programs in collaboration with faculty from CCNY’s School of Education. 
1 

Abstract 

This project, entitled “Target 2030: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) 

Research Strategic Plan to Reach R1 Status,” is a 4-year (FY25, 9/1/2024 through FY28, 

8/31/2028) $5M grant proposal submitted to the Research and Development Infrastructure (RDI) 

program of the US Department of Education (DoE) under the Absolute Priority-3 (Funding for 

Minority-Serving Institutions’ Research and Development Infrastructure). 

91% of our student population is Hispanic, 95% are from the region, 66% are first generation, 

and 65% are Pell grant recipients. UTRGV is committed not only to make a significant impact in 

terms of student success, but also to better serving the region in terms of applied research and 

development. Hence, UTRGV is committed to the research mission of becoming a Carnegie R1 

institution. 

This DoE RDI project is part of a broader strategic plan for research at UTRGV, namely “Target 

2030,” which is built on seven Research Pathways and six Operational Pillars. Target 2030 is 

focused on Carnegie’s three primary metrics, which are total research expenditures, doctoral 

degrees conferred, and research staff, with the goal of becoming an R1 institution in the Carnegie 

2030 cycle. 

The requested DoE RDI funding (under Absolute Priority – 3) is key to launching our Target 

2030 plan, providing foundational funding in its first four years while we increase the number of 

successful grant proposals, increase expenditures, support more doctoral students and postdocs, 

while we target expanding our faculty base and building a stronger doctoral student pipeline. 
Project Abstract

The overarching goal of the “Investing Now to Expand Faculty Research through Capacity 

Building Program” is to increase opportunities and capacity for faculty research at California State

University, Fullerton (CSUF). Having recently achieved R2 status, CSUF aims to increase faculty 

research activity, moving towards R1 status in the near future. To do this will necessitate longterm large-scale strategic investment in research infrastructure, human capital, technological and 

physical infrastructure, and faculty development and research opportunities. This project will 

address Absolute Priority 3, Funding for Minority Serving Institutions’ Research and Development

Infrastructure.

With a total enrollment of more than 42,000, California State University, Fullerton has the

largest student body of the 23-campus California State University system. It is one of twenty-one

other CSU campuses(91%) classified as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), with a total Hispanic

student enrollment of >50% as of Fall 2022. The student financial need is great. As of FY 21, 

66.1% of all undergraduate students received financial aid, 47% receiving Pell Grants. For Fulltime, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who received financial aid, the

number of Pell recipients rose to 51%. The Pell grant recipient level fluctuation trend is on par 

with that seen in state and national numbers post COVID. 

There are many research development approaches and variations in research infrastructure

in the CSU system, including organizational structure, human capital, technological support, and 

operational processes and practices within the research enterprise. Support for this project will

help to enhance the ability for CSUF to scale the research enterprise, streamline systems and reduce

administrative barriers for faculty to access research development resources and increase proposal

competitiveness. Enhancing the research ecosystem will increase the ability to financially support

robust research activity, implement best practices and cultivate a rich research culture for faculty 

and students. To reach this goal, we are proposing the following three Specific Objectives:

1) Increase Human Capital: Recruit additional Research Development and Research 

Communications staff to more accurately align with current research activity levels and expected 

future growth and to increase research support, visibility, collaboration and campus reputation.

2) Invest in Technology Infrastructure: Increase research information tracking and data

management through investment in the university’s Research Information System. Streamline and 

reduce inefficiencies in the research development, proposal submission and award process, 

increase research collaboration potential, centralize, integrate, analyze, report and promote data

across the university research enterprise while reducing administrative burden. 

3) Increase Faculty and Faculty-Mentored Student Research Opportunities: Enhance the

university research culture through increased internal funding opportunities for large-scale 

interdisciplinary collaboration, faculty research and faculty-mentored undergraduate and graduate

student research, providing direct financial assistance to ensure equitable student participation.

A formative and summative evaluation will be conducted of all project activities. The

program will have highly qualified staff, a budget that is reasonable and allocable and builds on 

existing campus investment of resources to augment and enhance the proposed activities. Project

objectives will be goals that relate to GPRA Goal 4, and the required annual project performance

report. By achieving the above aims, CSUF will be on the path to increasing research activity and 

expenditures, expanding faculty research development opportunities, and increasing graduate

student enrollment and conferals, benefiting the faculty, campus, and the CSU system as a whole

and providing students with immersive learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom.
RU PRIME - Producing Research and Innovation through a Mentoring Ecosystem 

PROJECT ABSTRACT 

Roosevelt University (RU), a private, diverse, liberal arts institution, proposes RU 

PRIME: Producing Research and Innovation through a Mentoring Ecosystem. With strong 

programs, engaged students and faculty, and a history and mission of social justice, RU is 

redefining what educational access and rigor mean for diverse students in the 21st century. 

Through the initiation of research clusters, addition and/or modification of two STEM 

graduate programs (Information Technology and Integrated Biomedical Sciences), and 

development of a vertically integrated research ecosystem supporting underrepresented STEM 

students from entry into RU through graduation (either with baccalaureate or advanced degrees), 

RU PRIME will positively impact the human capital at RU and beyond as students, faculty, staff, 

alumni, and external communities are incorporated in the project design. The achievement of 

each high-quality and transformative investment in infrastructure, faculty research clusters, and 

faculty and student capital, will increase and allow for a reclassification of RU from a Doctoral 

and Professional University to a Doctoral University with High Research Activity (in alignment 

with the Carnegie Classification designations). At the end of the RU PRIME project, the 

investments made will be self-sustaining and integrated into the existing portfolio of RU 

academic programs which support underserved student populations. 

RU seeks a 48-month Research and Development Infrastructure (RDI) grant from the US 

Department of Education to support the RU PRIME project. RU will match this request 1:1 as 

required per the grant announcement (CFDA #84.116H). 

Total Projected Costs: $9,983,008 

Amount requested from U.S. Department of Education for 48 months: $ 4,991,504 

Amount of RU match for 48 months: $4,991,504