The University of South Florida secured a record $775 million in research funding during fiscal year 2026, up 3% from the previous year and 42% over the past five years.
Federal agencies provided $387 million, accounting for half of the university’s research funding. Awards from the National Institutes of Health increased 38% from fiscal year 2025, including $185 million in grants to faculty at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
Private-sector funding reached $315 million, an 11% increase from the previous year, with more than 700 industry partners supporting university research. Much of that growth came from clinical trials, including a partnership with pharmaceutical company Roche to study an intravenous treatment for early-stage Parkinson’s disease.
USF is also working with Tampa Electric to develop a digital replica of its power grid, which could help technicians respond to disruptions and improve reliability for more than 2 million customers.
Other projects include autonomous aircraft technology developed with the U.S. Army and coastal protection research combining mangroves, coral reefs and engineered infrastructure.