As we look to continue advancing IU's research mission and services that support researchers, the IU Research Office has set three clear goals: 1) to continue to enhance and expand services provided that support and advance IU faculty researchers; 2) expand the financial investment in research; and 3) increase faculty involvement in determining how to deploy and allocate items 1 and 2.
To achieve these goals, IU Research is implementing three changes; two of which are complete.
The first change is still in progress, which is to appoint seven faculty as strategic advisors for IU Research. These advisors will help foster research in and across disciplines and help determine current and future priorities for internal funds and services that support research. Once hired, IU Research will have more faculty involved in decision making related to research funding, strategy, collaboration and growth than ever before.
Launched earlier this month, the second change is the new and expanded Research Equipment Fund. Previously, there were two campus-based funds totaling a few hundred thousand, and one central fund available only sporadically, to support the purchase of research equipment. The new fund, with thanks to support from IU President Pamela Whitten, will distribute $4 million this year, representing an eight-fold increase. The plan is for the Research Equipment Fund to have $5 million available next year with continued growth in future years.
The expansion of the IU Presidential Arts and Humanities Program, including the new fellows program is the third change. The new fellows will be a cohort of outstanding arts and humanities scholars poised to become national and international leaders in their fields. This effort is still being led by Ed Dallis-Comentale, strategic advisor to the vice president for research for the arts and humanities and director of the Arts and Humanities Council for IU Bloomington.
Other than the increase in the research equipment fund and expansion of the Presidential Arts and Humanities Program, all existing internal funding programs remain available as they were in the past and all existing funding commitments are being met.
Related, as we shared previously, the campus-based offices that support research are now integrated in to one. In our next newsletter, you will hear directly from interim associate vice president for research development Kay Connelly. Kay is the first faculty member to serve in this role and will talk in more detail regarding how the new IU Research Development plans to expand based on faculty needs through proposal development services, federal research relations, internal funding programs, faculty research leadership development, the new strategic advisors and more.
As you read on, please feel welcome to send ideas, questions or concerns to research@iu.edu.
Fred H. Cate is IU Vice President for Research, Distinguished Professor and C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law in the Maurer School of Law.
