Despite an especially tough past year, Missouri State University faculty and staff managed to pursue robust research, education and service projects.

The university received external grants and contracts worth close to $36 million in fiscal year (FY) 2021. This is a record-setting amount and about a 21% jump from the $29.7 million in FY2020.

Faculty and staff submitted 340 proposals to address the needs of businesses, communities and schools in southwest Missouri and beyond. Federal agencies remain the top funder.

“Given the challenges of this past year, our faculty and staff continue to be resilient and persevere at securing external funding,” said Rachel McGinnis, MSU’s director of research administration. “To our faculty and staff, thank you for setting another record year.”

View the FY2021 Research Report

Types of awards

The FY21 awards cover several types of projects. They include assessing lakes and streams, creating training and educational programs, improving plant varieties, performing geological mapping, and sharing consultation expertise.

Among the highlights were:

• National Institutes of Health: To study the mechanisms governing the formation of blood vessel wall thickness.

• National Science Foundation: To assist and mentor two-year colleges in the U.S. to develop and/or expand viticulture and enology programs that meet the grape and wine industry’s workforce needs.

• U.S. Department of Education: To improve retention and student success for MSU’s first-generation college students.

• U.S. Department of Education: To expand and improve computer science education programs in rural area schools.

• U.S. Department of Justice: To facilitate Project HEAL (Help, Educate, Advocate and Listen), a coordinated community approach to reduce sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, and stalking on the campuses of Missouri State and Ozarks Technical Community College.