What is Research Rising?

Research Rising is a five-year initiative investing more than $12 million in four interdisciplinary projects that will address critical challenges facing humanity.

Research Rising is building high-profile, interdisciplinary, multi-investigator projects that are poised to be competitive for significant federal funding opportunities and will propel the University of Kansas to national preeminence in several particularly significant subjects of inquiry.

The projects, which align with one or more of KU’s five strategic research areas, will allow emerging areas of research at KU to blossom through recruitment of key faculty expertise. Research Rising is also investing in the infrastructure and research support needed to sustain these initiatives into the future.

Securing Our Worlds: Physical, Digital, Social

This project will form an interdisciplinary, multicenter organization focused on finding solutions to problems related to safe and secure physical, digital and social environments. It aligns with two of KU's five strategic research areas: Safety & Security and Human Experience in the Digital Age.

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Big Data for Drug Discovery

This project will integrate cutting-edge biotechnologies that collect large amounts of data in order to create a more holistic understanding of human diseases and empower the discovery of new drugs to treat them. It aligns with KU’s Molecules & Medicines strategic research area.

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Growing Interdisciplinary Strengths in Genomics

This project aims to analyze genomes to understand where we come from, how we fight disease, how organisms respond to a changing environment/climate, and new bioengineering approaches for sustainable development and health advances. It aligns with four of KU’s strategic research areas.

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Advancing IDD Research at KU

This project will enhance KU’s international prominence in intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) research by investing in genomics and data science approaches to IDD — two areas prioritized by the National Institutes of Health. It aligns with KU’s Development Across the Lifespan research area.

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An interdisciplinary approach

Faculty leaders + research team members

Units collaborating on Research Rising projects

New faculty hires to bolster KU expertise in key areas

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Research Rising News

10 finalists advance in Research Rising

Ten projects have been selected to advance to the second phase of the review process for Research Rising, one of KU’s most significant investments in its research enterprise to date.

Jayhawks Rising: Four Projects Receive KU Research Rising Awards

Today we are excited to announce four major, interdisciplinary research initiatives that will elevate our commitment to conducting broad and impactful research to new heights: the projects selected to receive Research Rising awards.

KU's Research Rising awards will address critical challenges facing humanity

Each research team will receive $3 million over five years to support projects that rose to the top of a strong pool of finalists after rigorous review by nationally and internationally recognized experts.

KU competition awards $12M in grant funding to create new cybersecurity center, boost research in medicine, sciences

KU hopes to help solve cybersecurity problems and more, awarding $12 million to start a new center for cybersecurity and three other projects in the fields of medicine and science.