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Florida Atlantic has become the first university in Florida to join the international Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Consortium, a global network of more than 50 institutions committed to research-driven and cross-disciplinary learning. This milestone comes with a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

FAU selected four inaugural faculty-led research teams from a highly competitive pool of 31 proposals. Each team, spanning six different FAU colleges, will receive about $46,500 in seed funding. Rather than short-term projects these projects invite students, from first-year undergraduates to graduate level, to contribute across multiple semesters. This structure builds leadership, deeper expertise and a stronger connection to research beginning early in students’ careers.

The research teams investigate high-impact topics such as AI-powered tools for child welfare, Alzheimer’s protein effects on cells, smart sensors for coastal resilience, and brain cell roles in aging. Students work closely with faculty from different disciplines, gaining hands-on laboratory, data and field experience which will, in turn, prepare the students for graduate study or research careers.

“Being selected as a member of the VIP Consortium and launching our first VIP teams is a proud and pivotal step in our continued R1 research designation journey,” said Donna Chamely-Wiik, Ph.D., principal investigator of the grant and senior associate dean for undergraduate research and prestigious fellowships. “This achievement reflects not only the excellence of our faculty and the promise of our students, but also the university’s deep commitment to creating an interdisciplinary and impactful research environment.”

Read the press release.