What began nearly 20 years ago as a commitment to producing groundbreaking research and a bold vision to receive an invitation to the Association of American Universities (AAU), has produced yet another milestone in the creation of the Research Development Institute.
Not only is USF now among the 71 leading research universities to join the AAU, research funding awarded to USF reached an all-time high of $692 million in fiscal year 2023, representing an increase of nearly 27% from the previous year and further elevating USF’s stature as one of the nation’s most research-intensive universities.
Under the leadership of inaugural director Sandy Justice, the Research Development Institute is expanding on this success, setting the stage for USF’s continued trajectory toward ambitious goals, like the creation of a college dedicated to AI and cybersecurity and the move toward $1 billion in research awards by 2030.
Justice, a 25-year veteran of USF Research and Innovation, has been working with senior leadership throughout her career to improve the research enterprise at USF. Never one to wait for the future to come to her, she is empowering interdisciplinary research teams to pursue large-scale, center-level grant funding and elevate those submissions to be successful in a highly competitive environment.
“The funding environment for research is extremely competitive, with institutions across the nation contending for limited, large-scale support,” said Miranda Mattingly, associate director of the RDI. “Large-scale research proposals, often totaling over $5 million, typically focus on ‘grand’ challenges with significant societal or global impact, or pave the way for a new technology, field or industry to emerge. They, consequently, require long-term planning with teams ready to articulate a bold, strategic and scalable vision, inclusive of novel innovation, societal impact and public engagement.”
The RDI aims to be an all-inclusive guide for teams looking to navigate the complex landscape of large-scale funding.
“We work closely with faculty throughout the entirety of this ‘research development’ process — from “bold idea” generation to post-submission support — as well as across their careers to prepare and pursue these transformative, large-scale grant opportunities,” said Mattingly. “Our aim is to maximize research productivity, offering a concierge service for grant seekers including grant writing, editing, and graphic support, and assist in communicating the significant and compelling impact of faculty research.”
“The RDI is an incredibly useful resource for Sarasota-Manatee faculty and across One USF, especially if you are looking to expand the scope of your research and grow your grant funding,” said Ross DuBose, assistant director in the Office of Research at USF Sarasota-Manatee. “
The RDI adds a layer of support to the important administrative services offered through our research office here on campus, where we have the opportunity to work individually with principal investigators. The RDI helps to bring faculty together from across USF and beyond to pursue solutions to global challenges through interdisciplinary research, while providing much-needed resources to boost teams’ competitiveness for funding.”
We recognize expertise is all around us, and the only way to solve these grand challenges is together.
Miranda Mattingly, Associate Director, Research Development Institute
The RDI is also designed to elevate the USF research enterprise — creating diverse pathways for the emergence of transformative knowledge through think tanks, research collaboratives and the university’s thriving innovation ecosystem. For instance, RDI worked with the provost’s office to award four CREATE prizes worth $1 million each over three years to mobilize multi-disciplinary teams for large, collaborative efforts targeting transformative research that will lead to societal impact.
Think tanks, a featured initiative of the RDI, serve as a catalyst for collaboration and innovation, mobilizing interdisciplinary teams around pressing societal challenges and accelerating their pathways to breakthrough discoveries.
“Think tanks offer faculty a space to discuss promising areas of transdisciplinary research emerging in response to evolving technologies and quickly changing environments, and form immediate connections for new research collaborations,” Mattingly said. “They also provide an entry point for those within the community and in industry that are seeking to collaborate with USF researchers. We recognize expertise is all around us, and the only way to solve these grand challenges is together.”
Six think tanks are planned — Health + Technology, Future of Food, AI + Cybersecurity, Oceans of Data, Future of Education and Social Determinants of Health — with more anticipated to launch throughout the academic year.
“We have think tanks being hosted on each USF campus, and all convenings have a remote option to participate,” Mattingly said.
The RDI is ready to bring ideas for transformative research to life. By investing in open networks of collaboration, the RDI will advance USF’s bold trajectory of excellence and relentless pursuit of innovation.