ECU achieves historic research, grant funding

ECU received $85.6 million in sponsored awards, its highest level on record, during fiscal year 2023.

Sponsored awards come from a variety of sources, including industry and foundations as well as state, national and federal agencies, such as $3.6 million in Department of Defense-funded projects. Sponsored programs are projects or activities supported by funds from an external source or sponsor, and can include organized research, training and other scholarly, professional or creative projects. The process is often competitive, with ECU faculty vying for funding for their projects along with contenders from other universities.

This year, ECU had 24 awardees receive $1 million or more in total funding through grant proposals. Seven received between $1.9 million and $6 million.

Doyle “Skip” Cummings, a pharmacist and professor of public health in the Brody School of Medicine, received $6.1 million to lead a multi-institutional team implementing a statewide randomized clinical trial to test a new model of care for improving blood pressure control in high-risk patients.

Archana V. Hegde, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, received $5.1 million to support a program that provides continued professional development for prekindergarten teachers in nonpublic schools.

Elizabeth Hodge, assistant dean of the ECU College of Education, received $2 million to increas teacher retention, helping to address the teacher shortage throughout the state through the N.C. New Teacher Support Program, a collaboration with 11 other in-state public universities.

Siddharth Narayan, assistant professor in the Department of Coastal Studies, received a total of $1.9 million for interdisciplinary research projects that explore sustainable coastal adaptation. Working with research teams at ECU and around the globe, Narayan is examining how ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and coral reefs protect people from storms and how to preserve them.

A total of 439 faculty members conducted sponsored activities.

Of the $85.6 million, $8.1 million provided funding to student researchers. “Undergraduate students who engage with leading faculty experts in research or creative endeavors can access boundless experiential and learning benefits,” said Tuan Tran, director of undergraduate research.

ECU is projected to exceed the record during the 2024 fiscal year, and leaders say supporters and partners should be encouraged by the quality of innovative research and other activities generated by faculty, staff and students.