Institute Contributes to BU Research Success in 2016
Research funding is something that has been difficult to acquire, and constantly forecasted to stay that way. However, Boston University faculty have defied all odds and secured $368.9 million dollars in outside funding during FY2016.
This feat is in great part due to the work of Gloria Waters, vice president and associate provost for research, and the BU Research team. Jennifer Grodsky, BU’s Vice President for Federal Relations, notes that funders are “hungry” for knowledge in their fields of study, and are willing to pay researchers to pursue new and adventurous research. The BU Research office has successfully streamlined the grant administration process, built key partnerships with industry and government, and incentivized the creation of interdisciplinary research teams.
As Waters notes, “Research is becoming more interdisciplinary and, as a result, you need to put together these teams. The questions are complicated and the challenges are big, and so you need people from a variety of different fields.” The Hariri Institute for Computing plays an important role in spurring the creation of cross-disciplinary teams, with faculty affiliates spanning 43 departments from 11 different schools and colleges of the University. Institute fellows and affiliates from across the University are pursuing innovative research at the nexus of data science, cyber security, and cloud computing to address real world challenges through collaborative partnerships with other academic institutions, industry, and government agencies. Institute leadership and faculty fellows continue to support the University’s research mission, engaging with BU Federal Relations in a variety of outreach activities, including congressional briefings, National Academies workshops, and discussions with officials from the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Last month, Institute Director Azer Bestavros participated in a high-profile “Smart Cities” event, which brought together policymakers, practitioners, and researchers who are working to address U.S. urban infrastructure challenges. Through events like this, and dedication to priming the research pipeline, the Hariri Institute continues to support BU’s position as a leading institution for cutting-edge research and innovation.