UH to receive big funding boost from 2023 federal budget

The University of Hawaii will get a big boost from the federal government through the omnibus budget bill for fiscal 2023 that was recently signed into law by President Joe Biden, according to U.S. Rep. Ed Case.

The Hawaii Democrat, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, said this weekend that the budget includes millions “to strengthen the University of Hawaii’s position as a major research institution and economic generator for the state,” according to a news release from his office.

“In (UH) President (David) Lassner’s report to the UH Board of Regents earlier this year, he referred to the result of our FY 2022 federal spending bill as ‘an excellent year for UH.’ … This year’s spending bill builds further on that foundation to provide UH with enhanced federal support,” Case said.

According to Case, the Hawaii congressional delegation helped secure the following funds for the state’s university system in the new federal budget:

>> $6.5 million for the UH Cancer Center to complete construction of the Early Phase Clinical Research Center on its Kakaako campus. The 17,000-square-foot outpatient clinical trial clinic will provide Hawaii cancer patients who have exhausted traditional treatments with access to novel clinical trials.

>> $1.8 million for the Hawaii Public Health Institute to develop and train navigators to support kupuna and family caregivers as part of a joint effort between UH Manoa and the institute.

>> $1 million for UH’s Office of Indigenous Innovation to establish an indigenous data science hub in North Kohala. “This will engage students in experiential learning opportunities and foster collaboration between indigenous researchers and cultural practitioners in developing community- derived, culturally grounded and globally relevant climate resilience strategies,” Case’s office said.

>> $101 million for the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which includes the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at UH Manoa. The consortium is the principal means through which the Federal Emergency Management Agency identifies, develops, tests and delivers training to state and local emergency responders.

>> $302 million for the High Performance Computing Modernization Program in the Department of Defense, which supports the UH-managed Maui High Performance Computing Center.

>> $38 million for the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program, which provides support to the UH Hilo Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes.

>> $83 million for the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers, which includes the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center at UH Manoa. The centers provide scientific information, tools and techniques to resource managers and communities in response to climate change concerns.

>> $4 million to support the work of the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity at UH in advancing Indigenous research and policy solutions to achieve health equity.

Case also said the omnibus budget includes hundreds of millions in funds for major federal programs from which UH directly benefits, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In addition, the budget includes $1.2 billion for the Federal Work Study Program and $910 million for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, both of which benefit Hawaii students.