NDSU reports annual research awards total of $93.5 million

During this period, NDSU received a total of 694 awards supporting a diverse range of research and instructional initiatives aligned with priority areas crucial to the nation.

This latest funding total represents the institution’s fourth highest annual amount to date.

NDSU Interim Vice President of Research Heidi Grunwald noted that FY25 awards were earned across all areas of campus and most provide opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate student experiences. “Despite the headwinds presented by federal agency funding this calendar year, this total shows that NDSU researchers are continuing to accomplish work that is important to the state and the country,” she said.

The award funding will bolster campus research across major initiatives, including:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH): Examining 24-hour sleep patterns and their relationship to fluctuations in negative emotions among individuals with recurrent binge eating behavior (Irish).
• Margaret A. Cargill Foundation: Supporting strategies that promote healthy aging and community well-being in North Dakota (Strommen).
• U.S. Army: Advancing innovative, lightweight, high-performance materials development to enhance soldier protection and safety (Webster).
• Office of the Chief Economist: Providing data-driven economic analysis for agricultural policy development focused on risk management and market disruption mitigation (Steinbach).
• Leona M. and Harr Helmsley Charitable Trust: Expanding medical sonography in rural North Dakota by supplying advanced ultrasound equipment and training to improve diagnostic care access (Conner).
• Department of Energy: Designing, prototyping, and modularizing resilient remote microgrid systems to improve energy reliability and access, especially in underserved and tribal communities (Braaten).
• North Central Soybean Research Program: Conducting multi-state field trials and developing decision support tools to optimize disease management and soybean health for economic sustainability (Webster).
• Natural Resources Conservation Service: Implementing virtual fencing technology to improve livestock grazing management while conserving grassland wildlife and invertebrates, promoting sustainable rangeland health (Hovick).
• Howard G. Buffett Foundation: Advancing soil science research focused on soil health, conservation, and sustainable agriculture to enhance productivity and resilience in North Dakota (DeSutter).
• Agricultural Marketing Service: Using machine learning algorithms to optimize lettuce production, ensure food safety, and minimize environmental impact in controlled environment agriculture (Eshkabilov).
• Office of Tribal Relations: Supporting the Institute for Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Public Health (IIFSPH) to advance Indigenous food systems, public health, and tribal sovereignty through culturally grounded education, research, and partnerships (Parisien).

Grunwald advises faculty to stay engaged and keep submitting proposals. “We recently heard from the National Science Foundation that they are just not seeing enough proposal submissions, so increased faculty participation is critical to advancing research and securing future funding,” she said. “If you need assistance, please reach out to the Research and Creative Activity (RCA) office for guidance.”

Additional details about NDSU's FY24 awards can be found in the Awards Received Report.