Central State University to get DoD funding for research

Central State University campus

An aerial view of the Central State University campus and its clock tower

Central State University in Greene County is one of 70 colleges and universities that will receive part of a $30.4 million U.S. Department of Defense research grant.

Awards range up to $600,000 and will support the acquisition of equipment at 32 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 37 minority-serving institutions and one tribal college, according to a news release.

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, said the awards were part of the fiscal year 2021 DoD Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MSI) Research and Education Program.

Turner said HBCUs are among some of the top research institutions in the U.S. and play a crucial role in expanding research opportunities to minority communities.

“I’m grateful that the Department of Defense has fulfilled our request to fund the DOD’s HBCU/MSI Research and Education Program,” Turner said.

Turner worked with U.S. Rep. Anthony G. Brown, D-Maryland, on the initiative. Brown noted HBCUs produce 37% of Black officers commissioned through ROTC, and 25% of African American college graduates with STEM degrees. He said supporting funding for and fostering research at such institutions is critical to protecting the U.S. and advancing scientific discovery.

U.S. Reps. Brown, Turner and Alma Adams of North Carolina previously passed The HOMECOMING Research Act into law in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to identify ways to increase research opportunities for minority universities in the Department of Defense, according to the release.

The law would require a national study to review defense research conducted by HBCUs, provide recommendations for increasing capacity and address disparities in funding to those institutions. The study is underway and expected to be completed in December.

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