Xavier lands $2.8M NIH grant to build out medical research capacity

Xavier University has secured a $2.8 million federal grant — the largest in its history — to expand biomedical research and student training as it prepares to launch a proposed medical school.

The five-year award from the National Institutes of Health comes through a program designed to help universities build research capacity. Xavier is one of six institutions taking part in the program’s first cohort.

Rather than funding a single project, the grant will go toward strengthening research activity across campus, according to the university. That includes helping new faculty launch biomedical research, expanding existing work and building more support for professors seeking external funding. The grant dollars will also focus on increasing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in biomedical research, including hands-on training.

Xavier President Colleen Hanycz called the award a “historic moment” for the university.

“We are positioning our faculty, current students and future Musketeers for long-term success,” she said. “This powerful vote of confidence from the NIH serves as a major win for our outstanding faculty educating the next generation of leaders.”

Xavier will receive the funding annually through 2030. The university’s Center for Research Excellence, a centralized office responsive to the needs of the campus community, will oversee grant spending.

In its announcement, the university said the investment will support a broader expansion of health-related programs, including the expanded opportunities connected to the proposed Xavier University College of Osteopathic Medicine, which the university plans to open in fall 2027.

Grant funding will also go toward further building out a growing list of biomedical programs at Xavier. That includes undergraduate degrees in areas like genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, and speech-language and communicative behavior, along with graduate programs in biomedical sciences and social work.