USF Turns $1M Into $18M Research Funding in Two Years

A million dollars can go a long way when you invest it wisely. The University of South Florida just proved it can go 18 times further.

Since 2024, USF faculty have turned a $1 million university investment into $18.2 million in external research funding. The strategy was simple but powerful: give promising research teams seed money to build collaborations and develop preliminary findings that could attract major grants.

The approach worked beyond expectations. Faculty secured 38 external grants through four interdisciplinary research initiatives, all launched through the Office of the Provost's Collaborative Research Excellence and Translational Efforts awards, known as CREATE.

The funded research tackles some of medicine's toughest challenges. Professor Rays Jiang and his colleagues received $6 million from the Florida Department of Health to investigate how diet impacts colorectal cancer prevention. They're exploring whether certain dietary fats can alter gut bacteria in ways that make it harder for cancer cells to grow and spread to the liver.

Another team is applying precision medicine to glioblastma, one of the deadliest brain cancers. They're testing patients' tumor tissues outside the body to identify which treatments will actually work for each individual, moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches.

The Center for Antimicrobial Resistance received $7.7 million from the National Institutes of Health to prevent deadly infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA and C. diff. These superbugs kill thousands of Americans each year, and new treatments are desperately needed.

Professor Jianfeng Cai secured $3.7 million to develop new Alzheimer's treatments using specially designed molecules that prevent harmful protein clumping in the brain. Another researcher received $1.2 million to study how lithium behaves inside cells, potentially improving treatments for bipolar disorder.

The CREATE awards even funded a research project examining post-traumatic stress disorder in survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, showing how basic science can address global mental health challenges.

The Ripple Effect

This funding model creates a multiplier effect that extends far beyond the initial investment. Each million-dollar seed grant generated an average of $4.5 million in follow-on funding, demonstrating how strategic university investments can punch well above their weight.

The approach also strengthens research teams by encouraging collaboration across disciplines. Cancer researchers work alongside public health experts. Molecular biologists partner with clinical physicians. This cross-pollination of ideas leads to more innovative solutions.

Most importantly, every dollar supports research with real-world impact. These aren't just papers and publications. They're potential cancer treatments, new antibiotics, and therapies that could improve millions of lives.

The success has already attracted attention from other universities looking to replicate the model. When institutions invest strategically in their researchers' best ideas, everyone wins: the university, the researchers, and ultimately the patients whose lives may be saved by these discoveries.

Sometimes the best investment isn't in buildings or equipment, but in the brilliant minds working to solve humanity's biggest challenges.