Louisiana colleges could get $27.6M for research

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jun 28, 2007

The Louisiana Board of Regents' Sponsored Programs Committee on Wednesday approved a plan to award $27.6 million in federal grants to state colleges and universities severely impacted by the 2005 hurricanes.

The funding comes from $28.5 million in block grants provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for investment in research institutions impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Approval is still needed from the full Board of Regents, which was expected to take up the recommendation today.

The committee approved 11 proposals for funding:

- $5.9 million to the Tulane Health Sciences Center and LSU Health Sciences Center, both in New Orleans, for the Clinical and Translational Research Education and Commercialization Program;

- $5.8 million to Tulane University Health Sciences Center for the design, delivery and development of therapeutic peptides;

- $3.9 million to Tulane University for the development of a nationally recognized model in research commercialization, education and workforce development in chemical engineering and the chemical sciences through university and community college collaborations;

- $3.4 million to LSU Health Sciences Center for the South Louisiana Institute for Infectious Diseases Research;

- $2.7 million to McNeese State University in support of educational and economic development in southwest Louisiana;

- $1.5 million to Dillard University for multimedia intercollegiate, interdisciplinary technological research;

- $1.5 million Xavier University for the Center for Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery;

- $992,278 to Loyola University for the New Orleans Music, Entertainment and Educational Consortium;

- $915,146 to the LSU Agricultural Center for coastal area research enhancement in support of genetic improvement of native coastal wetlands creation and restoration;

- $500,000 to Loyola University for the enhancement of undergraduate research in cancer biology; and

- $498,000 to Loyola University to study Chagas disease in southeastern Louisiana.