Introducing the New Urban Futures Pathway Initiatives: Bioscience & Bioeconomy and Society & Culture

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UC researchers continue to blaze new trails in science, medicine, business, education, engineering and the arts — literally transforming the way we live, work and learn.

Findings is the Office of Research’s newsletter, which began in October 2017. It delivers monthly updates to faculty, staff, students, and community partners about impactful research, initiatives, partnerships, events, and opportunities at the University of Cincinnati. To view current and previous issues of the newsletter, go to the Findings page.

As part of the Urban Futures Pathway initiative of Research2030, two new strategic verticals were added to Next Lives Here during the 2022-2023 academic year: Bioscience & Bioeconomy and Society & Culture. Find out more about each of these new efforts below.

Bioscience & Bioeconomy

The Bioscience & Bioeconomy vertical is an outgrowth of the Research2030 objective of Research with Impact. UC strives to lead in research that improves people’s lives through foundational partnerships and strategic engagements that solve problems that matter. To do this, UC is making investments that advance such research. Out of the $8.7 million in college investments in FY22, $4.1 million went to supporting faculty startup packages and $4 million went to internal grants and awards.

To grow our Biosciences impact, the Office of Research is seeking to grow partnerships between colleges in the Academic Health Sciences with those on our other campuses. This initiative is aligned with the NLH: Urban Health focus on National Cancer Institute designation. This prestigious designation recognizes centers around the country that meet rigorous standards for transdisciplinary, state-of-the-art research focused on developing new and better approaches to preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer.

The Bioeconomy effort focuses on natural resource sustainability, particularly at the nexus of food, water, and energy. The primary disciplines involved are engineering, life sciences, biotechnology, and computing & information sciences. To continue to grow on this front, UC is bringing together cross-disciplinary teams to address critical questions, in addition to partnering with leaders in industry working toward a green, clean future. Through these collaborative efforts, UC aims to develop new technologies that have the potential for real, positive impact on people’s lives and our local economy.

Society & Culture

The Society & Culture vertical is tied to the Research2030 objective of National Prominence, which aims for UC to be recognized as a Top 25 Public Research University by galvanizing our mission to serve the public good. This effort requires investments in success, which means recruiting and retaining top talent and cultivating and growing programs of excellence. The objective of these actions and investments is to catalyze and grow key humanistic, social, behavioral, and cognitive research programs that advance knowledge about the brain, human cognition, language, social behavior, and culture.

The Society & Culture vertical is primarily focused on non-STEMM disciplines, particularly the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The Office of Research and the Office of the Provost are collaborating to grow the number of UC faculty who are nominated for and achieve nationally recognized awards and honoraria based on their research and scholarly activities. Taking these disciplines to the next level at UC will increase our competitiveness and ability to attract and retain superb scholarly and creative talent, both students and faculty.