University of Cincinnati, Kent State University awarded $3M by NSF to share research resources

(Press-News.org) The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded leaders at the University of Cincinnati and Kent State University a $3 million grant to create a program that will make research resources more accessible for some smaller institutions and advance projects more efficiently across universities with cost savings.   

The Supporting and HArmonizing Research Endeavors (SHARE) initiative is being led by Ohio co-principal investigators Jane Strasser at UC, Kent State University’s Douglas Delahanty and James Reecy at Iowa State University. SHARE aims to increase regional research opportunities by streamlining administration, facilities and regulatory compliance. It is a collective effort across multiple institutions to create easily-replicable regional research consortiums to share expertise and infrastructure.

“The SHARE program will lower facilities and administrative costs — or the ‘indirect’ costs — of research for participating institutions,” Strasser, UC’s senior associate vice president of research, said. "It will provide support and infrastructure across the state, and potentially across the country.” 

Both UC and Kent State University are recognized as R1 top-tier research universities by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, making them effective leaders for their respective regions in Ohio. 

Delahanty is the vice president for research and economic  development at Kent State University. “The SHARE program will increase the research capacity and thereby the economic impact of all institutions involved,” Delahanty said. “In addition, it will develop publicly available tools and resources, expand the pool of qualified research administrators, promote research, provide trainee opportunities and increase job readiness,” he added. 

Innovating for the next generation

Over the four-year grant period, the team will shape replicable Regional Community of Practice (RCOP) models for leadership and compliance to focus on mentorship of research faculty and support staff and balance regulatory burdens — rules, requirements and costs — across institutions large and small. 

Co-principal investigator Reecy of Iowa State University will assist as the program expands outside Ohio in the coming years. The next phase will provide RCOPs in not just Ohio, but also Iowa, Georgia and Minnesota. 

“It’s important that we're helping Ohio first,” Strasser said. “We can serve as a model as the program expands to new regions.”

“In the future, the Leadership Development and Compliance RCOPs can be joined to form Regional Research Networks, and the model can be replicated and expanded across the U.S. to strengthen our nation’s research administration capacity and, in turn, national research capacity,” Delahanty said.

About University of Cincinnati: Founded in 1819, the University of Cincinnati ranks among the nation’s best urban public research universities. Home to more than 53,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, and over 350,000 living alumni, UC, a Carnegie 1 institution, combines research prowess with a physical setting The New York Times has called “the most ambitious campus design program in the country." UC's momentum has never been stronger as the anchor of the Cincinnati Innovation District, the oldest cooperative education (co-op) program in the country with students earning $94 million annually through paid experiences, an academic health system, and as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The university contributes $10.6 billion in economic impact to the city and $22.7 billion to the state of Ohio. At UC, next is all of us. Learn more at uc.edu. 

About Kent State University: Kent State University is the highest-ranked public university in northern Ohio on the Top Public Schools and Best National Universities lists by U.S. News & World Report. The university also holds the esteemed distinction of being one of only seven institutions in Ohio to be recognized as an R1 top-tier research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Kent State is one of Ohio’s leading public universities and a major educational, economic and cultural resource far beyond the Northeast Ohio region it has served since 1910. The university has a global footprint with eight campuses throughout Northeast Ohio, a College of Podiatric Medicine, a Twinsburg Academic Center and academic sites around the world, including New York City; Florence, Italy; and Curitiba, Brazil. Kent State offers award-winning student support services that help students succeed. Its diverse student body comprises more than 34,000 students, including 2,200 international students from 102 countries, and the worldwide alumni family exceeds 280,000. Kent State provides transformational educational experiences and leads with its values, which include kindness, respect and freedom of expression. For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.

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