UNO Awarded $42M in Research and Creative Activity in 2022-23; Sets New Record for Third Time in Four Years

For the third time in four years, investigators at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) have raised the bar for total research and creative activity, having been awarded a record-shattering $42 million in funding in FY2023 which ended in June. The funding was awarded to 120 unique primary investigators by 103 unique funding agencies.

UNO’s College of Business Administration (CBA) led the way with about $12.77 million in research funding. Much of the college’s funding was tied to the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center at UNO as well as the Nebraska Business Development Center.

Four additional colleges crossed the $5 million research funding mark, including the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences ($7.15 million); the College of Information Science & Technology ($6.73 million); the College of Public Affairs and Community Service ($6.30 million); and the College of Arts and Sciences ($5.95 million). The remaining $3.04 million was awarded to the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media; the Division of Student Life & Wellbeing; Academic Affairs; UNO Libraries; Business & Finance; and International Programs.

Some examples of top funded research efforts across the university include:

• Four faculty members within the College of Arts and Sciences are working to increase understanding across economic, racial, and ethnic divides in the Omaha community through collaborative truth-telling through diverse forms of literary expression. Led by an interdisciplinary team comprised of faculty from English, history, and sociology, the "Tell All Truth" project is made possible through a prestigious grant by the Mellon Foundation.
  
  
• In addition to NCITE’s annual funding, the counterterrorism center finalized a new agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, opening the door for additional research projects and up to $35 million total in funding. Funding for NCITE projects touched several colleges across the university.
  
  
• UNO’s Department of Biomechanics within the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences was awarded more than $5 million in research funding by 13 unique sponsors.
  
  
• Research in the College of Information Science & Technology continues regarding the monitoring of health and safety of bridges through an award from the Department of Defense Army Corps of Engineers. The total project was originally announced as a $5 million investment in late 2021, and the university received $4 million for the project in FY2023.
  
  
• The College of Public Affairs and Community Service received funding from 55 unique organizations. The Center for Public Affairs Research, the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and the Grace Abbott School of Social Work all received a number of grants supporting work with city, state, and federal sponsors investigating civic, social, and correctional topics.
  
  
• Through UNO’s International Programs, UNO’s Center for Afghanistan Studies received nearly $2 million in funding form the U.S. Department of State to support training and cultural exchange for Pakistani English teachers and empowering women in Pakistan to lead efforts to mitigate the local impacts of climate change.