The University of Central Florida Research Foundation has established an institute to assist in securing large collaborative research projects and enhance the university\u2019s interdisciplinary work and growing partnerships.<\/p>\n
The UCF Applied Research Institute will help the university coordinate multidisciplinary responses to major projects and strengthen research across campus.<\/p>\n
By doing so, university leaders say the new institute will help bridge the technology \u201cvalley of death\u201d \u2013 the chasm that often occurs between basic research and innovation. For example, large government projects are fundamentally complex and require multiple types of technology from multiple disciplines.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs UCF\u2019s research program matures and we identify areas of distinctive impact and unique strengths, this new applied research institute will play a critical role in helping our faculty pursue interdisciplinary projects focused on tackling today\u2019s biggest scientific and societal challenges,\u201d said UCF Provost and Executive Vice President Dale Whittaker.<\/p>\n
The institute will create a centralized location where faculty members can team together to apply for grants, and where students can find resources, training and research opportunities in areas where funding is available.<\/p>\n
Randall Shumaker, director of UCF\u2019s Institute for Simulation and Training, has been appointed interim director for the new Applied Research Institute.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a former senior civilian leader for the U.S. Navy, I see the immense value of providing a university-applied research organization to support industry and national security needs,\u201d Shumaker said. \u201cWe are already in discussions with partners that we will work with to transition UCF\u2019s basic research into new concepts and applications.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many other large universities have developed applied research institutes to pursue government contracts and large research efforts, such as the University of Illinois, Johns Hopkins University and Georgia Institute of Technology. These institutes are largely federally funded, employ primarily 12-month research faculty and pursue contracts versus grants.<\/p>\n