By Ann Comer-Woods, USF Research & Innovation, and Tina Meketa, University Communications and Marketing
The University of South Florida has achieved a new milestone in research funding, reaching a record $750 million during fiscal year 2025 - an $11.6 million increase over last year and a 37% jump since 2022.
The growth in funding expands opportunities for the university to address critical challenges - discovering breakthroughs and creating new technologies that lead to better health care, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity solutions, a deeper understanding of the environment to prepare for hurricanes and much more.
"The University of South Florida is committed to solving real-world challenges, and our record research funding - bringing us closer to our goal of $1 billion in funding by 2030 - provides more opportunities for our faculty, staff and students to turn bold ideas into innovation and impact," USF President Rhea Law said. "Our world-class researchers remain at the forefront of discoveries that are improving lives and shaping a better future for our region, state and nation."
USF received research funding from a wide range of sources with an all-time high $284 million from 733 private and industry partners - a 17% increase over last year. Among the notable corporate investments, the USF Institute of Applied Engineering partnered with astrophysics start-up company Rhea Space Activity, headquartered in Washington, D.C., to provide flight safety qualification testing services for a sensor designed to fly in space.
USF partnered with astrophysics start-up company Rhea Space Activity [Photo courtesy of the USF IAE]
The team ran flight qualification testing [Photo courtesy of the USF IAE]
Results will help determine if a sensor will effectively fly in space [Photo courtesy of the USF IAE]
"From on-demand troubleshooting through design-for-space consulting, to testing the devices against industry standards for compliance with temperature, vibration and radio emissions, IAE staff enabled rapid technology developers to flourish," said Taylor Johnston, chief operating officer for the IAE.
Federal agencies continue to invest significantly in USF research, providing $384 million for projects ranging from workforce development to AI and cybersecurity.
The National Science Foundation is supporting research led by Professors Yao Liu and Tempesst Neal in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing that investigates how cyber-attacks exploit Wi-Fi localization systems in GPS maps. The National Institutes of Health awarded Professor Yael Bensoussan $4.2 million for her AI-enabled research that uses voice to detect disease.
"We are grateful for the support of our state and federal partners, which empowers our faculty to conduct ground-breaking research that addresses critical challenges in our communities and beyond," said USF Provost and Executive Vice President Prasant Mohapatra. "As we monitor federal funding developments, we remain committed to expanding our impact through collaborations with federal and state agencies and cultivating new partnerships with private industry."
State and local government funding increased 23% over last year, rising to $82 million, with significant investments in USF's programs in health care, environmental resilience and K-12 education. Florida's state agencies awarded major grants to USF to establish the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services in downtown Tampa, support the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation at the College of Marine Science and collaborate with the Institute for School-Community Partnership to support a statewide reading achievement initiative to improve literacy rates among the state's elementary school students.
Research scientist Jay Law and Emeritus Distinguished University Professor Bob Weisberg [Photo by Dyllan Furness, USF College of Marine Science]
Other notable investments include contributions towards the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine's trajectory, reaching $483 million in research funding - representing 64% of USF's total research funding. The greatest growth occurred in the College of Marine Science, which increased its funding 27% to $23 million.
"This record-breaking year reflects the extraordinary dedication of our researchers and our partnerships across sectors," said Sylvia Wilson Thomas, vice president for research and innovation at USF. "We are accelerating innovation, translating discoveries into real-world solutions, and expanding USF's impact across sectors critical to Florida's future."
