Research Priorities Initiative

About UK Research Priority Areas 

Established in 2018 and funded by the University of Kentucky Office of the Vice President for Research, the following eight areas are designated Research Priority Areas: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes & obesity, energy, materials science, neuroscience, substance use disorders, and uniting communities (UNITE). These areas were chosen based on local relevance to Kentucky, existing funding strength, sustainability and disciplinary scholarly diversity. 

Research Awards in Priority Areas

$71 million

cancer awards in FY23

$27 million

cardiovascular awards in FY23

$49 million

diabetes & obesity awards in FY23

$34 million

energy awards in FY23

$29 million

materials science awards in FY23

$75 million

neuroscience awards in FY23

$74 million

substance use disorder awards in FY23

$63 million

UNITE awards in FY23

source

Source: UK OSPA database, based on keyword searches using natural language processing with unique keywords related to each priority area. Priority areas are not exclusive to one particular area, projects may fit in more than one area. 

Healthy Kentucky Research Building

The Healthy Kentucky Research Building is focused on four of the eight research priorities (cancer, diabetes & obesity, cardiovascular diseases & stroke, substance use disorder).