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University of Rhode Island News Release
RI EPSCoR Program

URI awarded $20 million grant to stimulate life science research in Rhode Island

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Core News Facts

  • The University of Rhode Island receives $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the maximum by NSF over four years and the largest single grant in URI history.

  • Strengthens state’s research competitiveness and productivity by improving academic research infrastructure at nine institutions of higher education in Rhode Island.

  • Builds new state-of-the-art laboratory equipment at three centers of excellence: the Center for Marine Life Sciences and the Genomics and Sequencing Center at URI and the Proteomics Center at Brown University.

  • Also funds outreach and workforce development initiatives designed to stimulate entrepreneurship and increase career pathways in science, technology, engineering and math.

  • Supports 37 graduate and 165 undergraduate students.

  • Expands the Rhode Island EPSCoR Academy to provide enrichment, tutoring and professional development programs for middle and high school students and teachers.

  • Offers 165 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships; provides 11 two-year graduate research fellowships and 25 entrepreneurial fellowships; and supports graduate fellowships at URI, Brown and Rhode Island College.

  • Partners institutions Brown University, Bryant University, Community College of Rhode Island, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University and Salve Regina University.

Quotations

"The funding will continue to build the infrastructure to enable us to work on some of the most pressing issues of our time and conduct science that is of broad societal interest. It will allow us to take advantage of Rhode Island’s unique niche and resources, positioning the Ocean State as a leader in understanding and predicting how marine organisms and ecosystems respond to climate change. “ -URI President David M. Dooley

“I am pleased URI received this $20 million federal boost for science research, especially when the state has been reducing aid to our colleges.  This research will help promote sustainable management of Narragansett Bay and could lead to exciting new discoveries that impact Rhode Island’s watermen, seafood, aquaculture, and tourism industries.  This grant is a smart investment in Rhode Island that will strengthen the state’s research and development competitiveness, foster economic growth, and help create jobs now and in the future.” - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)

“This EPSCoR funding is a landmark grant for the University and for the State of Rhode Island that will help propel us into national prominence in marine life science research and development. The funding will strengthen the vital link between education and workforce development in our growing innovation economy.”-Governor Donald L. Carcieri

“The economic development benefits resulting from this grant are significant. Not only will we be acquiring high tech equipment that will enable us to compete for more and bigger grants in the future, but the grant will provide jobs and training for dozens of students, lab technicians and others for the next five years.” -Dr. Peter Alfonso, URI Vice President for Research & Econonmic Development

“We can now capitalize on the infrastructure that we acquired from the first $6.75 million grant in 2006 and become a serious player nationally in life sciences research.” -Jennifer Specker, URI EPSCoR Project Director

"Support from this award will augment critically important cyberinfrastructure. Together with recent investments by Brown University in high-performance computing, this award illustrates the power of partnerships to optimize our intellectual and other resources for the benefit of the state.” -Edward J. Wing, MD, Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences, Brown University

“This project will provide a platform for engaging the widest possible range of scientists, artists, and designers around the pressing issues of understanding and communicating the impacts of climate change" -David Bogen, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, RISD

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URI Logo Official Logo, URI Various Formats
NSF Logo Official Logo, NSF Various Formats
RI Governor Donald L. Carcieri Official photograph of Governor Donald L. Carcieri High-Resolution JPG
David M. Dooley, President, URI Official photograph of Dr. David M. Dooley, President of URI High-Resolution JPG
Peter Alfonso, VP of Research & Economic Development, URI Official photograph of Dr. Peter Alfonso, VP of Research & Economic Development at URI High-Resolution JPG
Keith Stokes Official photograph of Keith Stokes, Executive Director, RI Economic Development Corporation High-Resolution JPG

President David M. Dooley, President, URI

    
Sound Byte: "This is the largest single award ever received by the University of Rhode Island." .mov audio and video

.MP4 Video
Sound Byte: "It speaks to the increasing competiveness of the research faculty and the institution here I think it is very important for the State." .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "These awards are intended to develop the entire State and to develop the State’s capacity of continued growth in research and development." .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "The beauty of the partnership is that each participating Institution brings particular strengths to the table. Whether it is in the design element, whether it is in the expertise of particular segments of its research enterprise, (such as at Brown) or a whole new perspective and how to integrate the thinking and design into the work that we will be doing, and to what RISD will bring to the table. Or in undergraduate participation in science, which is vitally important in maintaining and building the science pipeline, in order to create the kind of work force of the future, and many of the institutions will contribute to that." .mov audio and video

Dr. Peter Alfonso, VP of Research & Development, URI

    
Sound Byte: "This gives us the capability to be right at the cutting-edge of these very complicated sciences."--Dr. Peter Alfonso, VP of Research & Economic Development at URI .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "What we get out of this actually is a much more modern infrastructure support system that modern science actually requires."--Dr. Peter Alfonso, VP of Research & Economic Development at URI .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "Well this grant will also fund a large number of both undergraduate and graduate students that will work side by side with our faculty.--Dr. Peter Alfonso, VP of Research & Economic Development at URI .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "The focus of this particular grant is in life sciences in general and in marine life sciences in particular."--Dr. Peter Alfonso, VP of Research & Economic Development at URI .mov audio and video

Governor Donald L. Carcieri

    
Sound Byte: "When you look at the concentration of higher education within let's say 60-70 miles of Boston, alright you get the greater Boston, greater Providence area, it's the highest density of higher education in the Nation, probably in the world."--Governor Donald L. Carcieri .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "So the brainpower is here."--Governor Donald L. Carcieri .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "Well I know it is the largest grant in the University's history. The beauty is that is builds capacity..."--Governor Donald L. Carcieri .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "...and it's exciting to see this happening."--Governor Donald L. Carcieri .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "...but I'm a firm believer that growing out of this will be all sorts of things that we can't forsee right now."--Governor Donald L. Carcieri .mov audio and video

Keith Stokes, Executive Director, RI Economic Development Corporation

    
Sound Byte: "...I believe the most important aspect of this grant is that it webs together public private institution-- nine participating institutuions through an integrated policy and investment strategy. .mov audio and video
Sound Byte: "...it's seeding and it's building a capacity for Rhode Island to further build its life science industry base." .mov audio and video

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Video & Sound Bytes

Editor's Note: These audio and video bytes are provided of both URI and external sources. The goal is to provide a diversity of opinion and analysis useful for producers / editors in the building of their respective stories.