Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Tuskegee University in Alabama was awarded a $699,999 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation for a new project aimed at improving the safety, transparency, and reliability of AI-assisted medical technologies. Over the next three years, researchers at the HBCU, along with partners from the University of North Texas, will develop AI systems capable of generating responses grounded in reliable evidence, supporting compliance with clinical guidelines and regulatory requirements, and incorporating meaningful human oversight into high-risk healthcare decision-making. The grant will support research opportunities for both undergraduates and graduate students working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, healthcare, and data science.
A research team from Howard University, Georgetown University, and MedStar Health have received a renewal of a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health, providing nearly $28 million in funding to support the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Over the next seven years, the funding will allow the center to continue its work in advancing innovative research, educating future clinical and translational scientists, engaging communities as research partners, and building collaborations that expand the research and impact of scientific discovery. The new award will also support the center in expanding its work in emerging areas, such as data science, artificial intelligence, precision medicine, dissemination and implementation science, and community-engaged research.
South Carolina State University and Voorhees University are two of 11 colleges and universities participating in the South Carolina Collaborative Academic Pathways in STEM, a $10 million statewide initiative that aims to build research capacity and STEM workforce pathways at South Carolina’s primarily undergraduate institutions and HBCUs. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the initiative aims to engage high school, transfer, and undergraduate students to build research skills; advance retention, on-time graduation, and career readiness strategies; and support faculty development. Over the four-year grant period, South Carolina State University will receive nearly $600,000 and Voorhees University will receive $305,000 for their portion of the project.
