Record new awards reflect research to advance Kentucky

For the first time in University of Kentucky history, investigators received $488.4 million in extramural grants and contracts to support their research in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This is a 1.9% increase from the $479.3 million in FY23 research awards.

UK researchers also made history in FY24 with a record 1,920 research awards to 830 principal investigators from a record 633 sponsors.

“Our sustained growth as a research university is directly connected to the intentional focus we have on the biggest issues in our Research Priority Areas — cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, energy, issues of equitable access, materials science, neuroscience and substance use. Without question, research is vital in our mission to serve Kentucky,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. 

“Our research teams work across academic boundaries to bring the best ideas to light. This growth is a testament to the talent, collaboration and innovation of the faculty, staff and students who make up our research investigator community at UK. Their tireless work continues to propel the university forward to advance Kentucky and our nation,” said Vice President for Research Lisa Cassis.

Support from federal sources increased by 4.7% (from $252.6 million in FY23 to $264.4 million in FY24), with the largest increase of 12.1% in National Institutes of Health awards (from $145.6 million in FY23 to $163.1 million in FY24). 

Federal awards were 54.1% of UK’s total research awards and supported the work of investigators across all disciplines, including these highlighted projects in the UK Research Priority Areas of cancer and energy. 

The UK Markey Cancer Center received $2.7 million in FY24 (part of a $13.5 million P30 award) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to Director B. Mark Evers, M.D. The Markey Cancer Center achieved comprehensive cancer center designation in FY24, making it the only cancer center in Kentucky and one of only 57 centers in the US to receive the highest NCI designation. This elevated designation reflects Markey’s leadership and resources, depth and breadth of research, including substantial transdisciplinary research.

In the Markey Cancer Center, Eric B. Durbin, Dr.P.H. (associate professor of biomedical informatics), directs the Kentucky Cancer Registry and leads the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. With $2.6 million in FY24 (part of a $3.1 million grant from NCI), Durbin’s team published Childhood Cancer in Kentucky, a report that showed Kentucky has a 7.2% higher rate of childhood cancer compared to the national average, with Appalachian counties experiencing an even greater burden. With updated data defining the disparities, researchers can better understand causative factors and develop future interventions.

Rodney Andrews, Ph.D., (director of the Center for Applied Energy Research) leads a new five-year, $20 million Research Infrastructure Improvement award from the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) titled “Climate Resilience through Multidisciplinary Big Data Learning, Prediction & Building Response Systems (CLIMBS).” With $4.7 million in FY24, this project is advancing Kentucky’s climate resiliency by addressing fundamental knowledge gaps using big data, artificial intelligence and risk assessment tools to predict and respond to hazards like floods and landslides, and target infrastructure improvements in water, power, traffic and communications. UK leads an eight-institution collaboration with University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Murray State University and Thomas More University.

Nonprofit awards increased by 15% (from $26 million in FY23 to $29.9 million in FY24). Two researchers in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment lead nonprofit-funded, community-based projects.

Alison Davis, Ph.D. (professor of agricultural economics), leads a $2.3 million project through RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program. Davis is working with the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) team at UK to provide face-to-face outreach to community organizations, conduct train-the-trainer sessions with Cooperative Extension professionals and coordinate state-level resources, in partnership with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. The goal is to remove barriers and improve access for Kentuckians with environmental concerns.

Alison Gustafson, Ph.D. (professor of dietetics and human nutrition), received $703,356 from the American Heart Association to develop a user-centered approach to screen, refer and enroll rural and urban adults with hypertension in Food is Medicine (FIM) programs. This is part of her larger research effort — the Food as Health Alliance — a program testing a variety of delivery packages to food insecure populations experiencing diet-sensitive chronic disease. This research brings together healthcare, industry, agriculture and nonprofit partners to research how addressing food insecurity can improve health outcomes across Kentucky. 

To learn more about innovative UK research that impacts Kentucky and beyond, visit research.uky.edu/news. Visit stats and rankings, for more UK Research data.  

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers P30CA177558 and HHSN261201800013I. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.