Message from the Director
I am delighted to offer this FY24 Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Annual Report.
This year’s report is remarkable in many ways – including record-breaking external funding to support innovative projects designed by our students and faculty. Innovation continues to be a focus of the University’s Strategic Plan (2024 – 2027) moving “Ferris Forward” as envisioned by our founders, Woodbridge and Helen Ferris.
FY24 Highlights
- Hosted a 4-week intensive Grant Writing Program for 22 faculty and staff
- Expanded research collaborations with the FSU Honors Program
- Celebrated our 11th year of the Summer Student Fellows Program impacting over 140 students
- Hosted the University-wide Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Activities,
where nearly 50 student authors presented their projects representing 14 Colleges
and units.
Ferris State students and faculty attending the Van Andel Undergraduate Research Conference
- Intellectual Property developed by Dr. Sonali Kurup, Associate Professor of Pharmacy, resulted in U.S. Patent No: 11,814,388 B1, "Substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines and pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines as inhibitors for multi-resistant cancers”.
- Record-breaking grant funding ($14M in FY24) in the final year of the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan. Ferris was awarded nearly $35 Million in new grants, averaging $4.4 Million per year, representing a 3X increase in funding c
- Our Institutional Review Board (IRB) continues to play a critical role in educating the campus community on research involving human subjects. These projects range from educational scholarship to medication usage and health outcomes research being carried out by our students and faculty. Under the leadership of the IRB Chair (Dr. David White) and Research Compliance Officer (Maureen Wawsczyk), 126 new research projects involving nursing, pharmacy, education, and learning innovations are managed and approved by the IRB. These projects are often required as part of advanced, graduate-level, doctoral and master’s degree programs.
On behalf of the grants and research team at Ferris, I look forward to working with you to move Ferris Forward!
THOMAS Dowling, Ph.d.
Director, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Key Impacts
109
New IRB Applications
34
Funded Projects
14367345
FY24 Funding