Ohio State received more than $11 million in research grant funding yesterday as part of Gov. Bob Taft’s Third Frontier Project.
Taft presented two checks to leaders from the College of Medicine and Public Health and the College of Engineering at a ceremony yesterday morning. The funding is designed to support state-of-the-art research projects and create a new center for biomedical research.
Taft said the research will help make Ohio a long-term competitor in the “battleground” of the global economy.
“These projects have the potential to touch the lives of every Ohioan,” he said.
In her opening remarks, OSU President Karen A. Holbrook said the grants will further the work of some of OSU’s leading researchers.
“The results and innovations of their work are saving lives and improving the quality of life for people everywhere,” she said.
OSU is the site of the first Wright Center for Innovation in biosciences, made possible by a $9.1 million check. The grant will allow for the development of a new MRI scanner. Using an imaging process, doctors will be able to observe patient response to medications and adjust treatments on an individual level.
The project entails a collaborative effort by Ohio State, Case Western Reserve University and Philips Medical Systems.
The remaining $2 million will to the development of a polymer foam that will reduce ozone-depleting chemicals in manufacturing industries. The new foam is safer for the environment. Collaborators for the project include Ohio State, the University of Akron, Owens Corning and Procter and Gamble.
Holbrook said the grants will generate interest from other leading research institutes.
“Anytime you have a state-of-the art-facility, everybody wants to learn how to use the technology,” Holbrook said.
She said credit for OSU receiving the funding belongs to faculty members who proposed the technologies.
“We feel very fortunate we have faculty that can compete so successfully for these kinds of awards,” Holbrook said.
The ceremony was held in front of the future Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital. Michael Knopp, professor of radiology and head of the team developing the MRI machine, received the check for the Wright Center. Dr. L. James Lee, professor of chemical engineering received the award for the foam polymer research.
The Third Frontier Project is an initiative designed to create high-paying jobs in fields of technology and biomedical research, according to the project’s Web site. The Web site also says the project aims to give $500 million to research facilities across the state over a 10-year period.
