MU Awards $1.4 Million in Mizzou Advantage Grants

March 2nd, 2011

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— University of Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton has awarded $400,000 from the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence to support proposals to the Mizzou Advantage. The Chancellor’s Fund awards will focus on projects in the arts and humanities and on external collaborations. This money complements approximately $1 million in other Mizzou Advantage grants that were announced recently.

“These funds are committed to areas that strengthen Mizzou Advantage in building long-term, sustainable research and educational programs and forming networks of collaborators, both within MU and with our external partners,” Deaton said. “This current round of funding extends and builds on earlier Mizzou Advantage proposals.”

The Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence was created by donors to the university with the intent of providing flexible funds to be used at the discretion of the chancellor to stimulate leading-edge initiatives in the university’s mission. Mizzou Advantage proposals address such leading-edge projects, and the current awards align well with the objectives of the Chancellor’s Fund. Proposals were submitted from all areas of the university. The generous support of donors has allowed the university to award seven “seed” and three “network” projects as part of Mizzou Advantage.

“Seed” grants are used to start projects that will eventually lead to large sustainable projects, while “network” projects focus on building large collaborations, externally or internally, in a way that brings researchers together to discuss problems or issues in their fields that affect them all.

A total of 38 proposals were funded and cover several disciplines, including journalism, agriculture, medicine and engineering. A total of $1,413,605 was awarded.

“In its first year, the Mizzou Advantage program has allowed us to identify our strengths on campus and to develop collaborations that didn’t exist previously,” Foster said. “We have been very pleased to see the progress with the program in the first year as our researchers continue to be recognized for their work on a national stage. As we move forward, we will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen internal and external collaborations and further develop our research programs that seek solutions affecting our state, nation and world.”

For a full list and descriptions of all proposals, please visit: http://www.missouri.edu/mizzou-advantage/Proposal%20Summaries%20-%20AWARDED%20PROPOSALS.pdf