This Week in Illinois Research

Explore UIUC Research

“This Week in Illinois Research” is a weekly communication for the campus research community, from the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation Susan Martinis. 


Subscribe to This Week in Illinois Research | View the This Week in Illinois Research Archives

Funding Trends

From the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation

Disappointing news came out of D.C. last week with budget cuts at the NSF, NASA, USGS, NOAA, and other funding agencies. While we are very fortunate that a government shutdown was averted, it is concerning that so many science agencies lost ground. The timing is also at odds with the release of the congressionally mandated assessment of the nation's science and engineering enterprise: The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024. As the National Science Board observed in a statement on the release of the report, "the nation continues to fall behind others on more and more global metrics, like research publications, patents, and knowledge-and-technology-intensive manufacturing." 

While NSF is our largest federal sponsor of research at Illinois, we maintain an exceptionally diverse research portfolio. Although I remain optimistic about UIUC's ongoing research successes, we need to strategically consider potential impacts. As one of America's leading research universities, we rely on federal funding to meet our mission to serve the people of Illinois—and our nation! Investments in research create positive change, power the U.S. economy, and drive prosperity in communities across the country. It's more important than ever that we use our collective voices to tell that story to our investors—the taxpayers—including friends and neighbors, in our local communities, and beyond.  

Sincerely,

Susan

Featured Stories

New leadership and increased visibility add up to a defining moment for CSBS

During the height of the pandemic, U.S. researchers worked around the clock to roll out a vaccine in record time. It was a triumph of scientific achievement – one capable of preventing serious illness and slowing the spread of COVID – yet nearly half of eligible Americans chose not to get a vaccine in the first nine months of availability.

Gerald Wilson joins Illinois as its first director of entrepreneurship

Turning research and innovation into tangible benefits to society has always been a priority and strength at UIUC. Now, with the hire of Gerald Wilson as Director of Entrepreneurship, the university’s commitment and impact are being elevated to new heights.

Project to Study Anti-Black Violence in Newspapers Receives Support from Mellon Foundation

Ryan Cordell is leading a new project exploring anti-Black violence in newspapers to "provide context

Around Campus

For researchers interested in learning more about generative AI

For researchers interested in learning more about generative AI, the University Library offers a

Interdisciplinary seminar

Register by Friday for an interdisciplinary seminar "Training Your Brain to Increase Resilience and Well-being." The lunchtime session will take place on March 27 at Beckman.

A new, System-led initiative.

new, System-led initiative called "Brasillinois" builds on a long-standing relationship between the University and Brazil to create …

SPaRC'Ed Research Administration Certification Series

Build expertise in sponsored research programs and research compliance through the SPaRC'Ed Research Administration Certification Series. Applications to join the 2024-2025 cohort are being accepted through May 31.

Managing organizational change in an academic setting

Managing organizational change in an academic setting is the focus of a study led by Jennifer Nelson. Among her findings: mutual respect is important; employees want to be heard; and…

3D molecular maps of the brain

Illinois researchers Jonathan Sweedler and Fan Lam have created 

National Landscape

Digital Humanities Advancement Grants

Help inform the scope, requirements, and outreach for future Digital Humanities Advancement Grants as the needs of the field evolve. This National Endowment for the Humanities’ call for comments closes…

the goal of the new Office of Public Engagement just announced by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Increasing participation in the innovation ecosystem is the goal of the new Office of Public Engagement just announced by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The unit consolidates many of the agency’s outreach, education, and customer experience leaders under a single office with a single mission.

The NIH's All of Us project

The NIH's All of Us project is the focus of an NPR story that notes the project's progress to date and highlights ethical concerns about "whether the program is perpetuating misconceptions about the importance of genetics in health and the validity of race as…

Assessment of Public Confidence in Science

A newly released assessment of Public Confidence in Science published by the National Academies "found that U.S. public confidence in science, the scientific community, and leaders of scientific communities is high relative to other civic, cultural, and governmental institutions for which researchers regularly collect such data."

"Gloomy outlook" for science as Congress passed legislation

An article in Science last week highlights a "gloomy outlook" for science as Congress passed legislation on Friday that cuts research-related funding at funding agencies such as NSF, NASA, USGS, EPA, and NIST.