2024 marks a landmark year for VCU’s research and innovation enterprise

By David Oglethorpe

Powered by a rapidly growing portfolio, VCU Research and Innovation will close out 2024 as its most successful year to date. Highlights include eclipsing $500 million in sponsored funding for the first time, national and international recognition for numerous faculty researchers and a renewed focus on student engagement in research.

In addition to its sponsored funding milestone, Virginia Commonwealth University remains ranked as a Top 50 public research university by the National Science Foundation.

"I'm incredibly proud of VCU's research trajectory. In just the past six years, we have increased our externally sponsored research funding by 86%, and now we mark the third consecutive year being ranked as a Top 50 public research institution," said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. "We have faculty colleagues who are ranked globally in their fields, and we are purposefully connecting more undergraduate students with research to prepare them for their future careers. As a truly public research institution and academic medical center, the growth of our research enterprise means more lives enhanced and saved, and more discovery and innovation that improve our lives and our world."

VCU is four years into the implementation of its One VCU Research Strategic Priorities Plan, and much of the portfolio's growth can be attributed to a focus on team science and research projects in the plan's four key initiatives: optimizing health, enriching the human experience, supporting sustainable energy and environments, and achieving a just and equitable society.

"As our achievements of this past year illustrate, VCU is quickly becoming a nationally and globally recognized research powerhouse," said P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation. "The research that we are conducting at VCU is addressing society's grand challenges and lifting lives here in Richmond and across the country and the world. I am immensely proud and thankful to our faculty, postdocs, students, staff and anyone else who has engaged with research here at VCU. With our new sponsored funding record and an increased commitment toward supporting targeted and impactful research projects, as well as a growing focus on research infrastructure, there has never been a better time to conduct research at VCU than right now."

Record funding and international recognition

In fiscal year 2024, for the first time, VCU surpassed $500 million in sponsored research funding. The $506 million milestone marks the sixth consecutive year of record funding and a 9% increase from the previous year.

The FY24 sponsored funding efforts were achieved through 1,953 grant proposal submissions by VCU faculty conducting groundbreaking research across wide-ranging disciplines, leading to positive impacts on communities in Virginia and around the world. The university also maintained its Top 50 ranking for research expenditures by public institutions.

A portion of VCU's sponsored funding was supported by the health sciences, with 19 departments and schools ranking in the Top 50 for public research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the world's leading biomedical research supporter. The research also resulted in 11 VCU faculty members ranking within the global Top 50 of their respective fields, according to the 2024 Stanford Elsevier Top 2% of Scientists List.

Research Weeks celebrated across campus

In April, the annual Research Weeks compilation of programs highlighted innovation on campus. The universitywide celebration was marked by more than 40 events, including research days at many of VCU's schools, colleges and units.

Research Weeks kicked off with the annual State of the Research address, in which Vice President Rao outlined VCU's rising research rankings, placement among the Top 20 public universities for innovation and a continued rise in sponsored funding.

Later in April, Rao joined Rochelle Walensky, M.D., former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for a fireside chat focusing on the interconnectedness of research, public health and trust. Walensky stressed the importance of personal interactions and relationship-building for researchers and public health experts to gain public trust and maximize the impact of their work. Her remarks also included reflections of her experiences leading national efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Internal awards for external impact

To further jump-start and support transdisciplinary research, more than 40 projects received awards ranging from $10,000 to $200,000 in 2024 from VCU internal funds that promote expansive exploration.

• The Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fund was created to facilitate and enhance the creation, production and dissemination of arts, humanities and social sciences research and creative activity. This year, the fund provided support for 10 projects ranging from sculpture and swimwear to pediatric medical care and theater.
• The Breakthroughs Fund supports transdisciplinary teams to design unique, creative and innovative large-scale approaches to social grand challenges. It funded an additional 10 studies focusing on issues ranging from reducing chronic pain in sickle cell disease patients to optimizing Black maternal health and identifying gaps in Virginia secondary education curriculums.
• The Quest Fund, aimed at affording all faculty an internal funding opportunity to support new, emerging or continuing research, supported 21 projects ranging from developing therapies for cancer and opioid withdrawal symptoms to creating artificial wetlands for sewage treatment in urban settings.

VCU's commitment to internal research funding will support more faculty in upcoming years. Information can be found on the fund webpage.

Every Ram's a Researcher spurs undergraduates

This year, VCU launched Every Ram's a Researcher, an initiative to expand transformative learning for undergraduate students. The program aims to equip all students with problem-solving skills, regardless of their major or career aspirations, by integrating research experiences into their General Education coursework. The faculty-driven effort offers students opportunities to develop abilities in critical thinking, data analysis and communication through research projects.

These efforts were on full display during Research Weeks in April as hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students presented findings during their respective symposiums. The events underscored VCU's commitment to research experiences for students and the focus on interdisciplinary discovery that pushes the boundaries of knowledge.

In 2024, more than 5,500 undergraduate students and 2,250 graduate students engaged in research activity at the university. Among them, as highlighted in the "How I Found My Research" series from VCU News:

• Jaelyn Jenifer hopes to be a guardian of public health
• Jennoa Fleming studies the small wonders of rock pools
• Josselyn Valenzuela helps pregnant mothers navigate depression
• Moira Neve studies visions of a queer utopia
• Bao Chau harnesses cutting-edge tools to improve medication access

Entrepreneurship powers VCU innovation

Led by VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, the university ranked in the Top 100 for utility patents among universities by the National Academy of Inventors for the second consecutive year. VCU ranked 98th nationally, reflecting a continued commitment to advancing and commercializing faculty discoveries and inventions for public benefit and into the marketplace. The university also set a new record with 13 licenses to startups.

VCU also recognized Massimo Bertino, Ph.D., as Innovator of the Year. Bertino is the first physicist to win the award, recognizing his development of a new method for producing aerogels that is less expensive, safer and more scalable than traditional methods. The work has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency. This innovation has been patented and out-licensed to a startup co-founded by Bertino and VCU chemist Everett Carpenter, Ph.D.

In support of faculty startups, TechTransfer and Ventures launched its first Startup Accelerator program to fast-track promising inventions born from university research. This initiative targets faculty entrepreneurs with commercially viable ideas by providing them with personalized coaching and business strategy development, culminating in a pitch competition with cash prizes and further assistance for the winners. The program aims to bridge the gap between research labs and the marketplace, accelerating the development of innovations with real-world applications and contributing to the region's rapidly growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and economic development.

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