- Florida International University is set to receive $77 million in state funding following a successful year of research and student achievement
- The funding is planned to be utilized in expanding preexisting infrastructure systems, as well as procuring necessary certifications to advance its programs
- FIU is serving as a leading research institution for the South Florida region, particularly in the fields of medicine and business
On the back of recent research and student success, Florida International University (FIU) is set to receive more than $77 million as part of the Florida state budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The funding total marks an increase compared to years prior and indicates a legislative belief that the school will continue to provide benefits to the state economy.
According to appropriation plans published by the university, the funding will in part be allocated towards such projects as $33.5 million for FIU’s Public Education Capital Outlay funds for the second building of a new engineering complex, $2 million to help acquire necessary certifications for its Laboratory for Functional Drug Testing to Individualized Cancer Treatments center, and $32 million in operational funding for implementing the FIU Board of Trustees’ plan for the university to become a top 50 public research university.
“This investment in FIU will continue to support our NextHorizon Strategic Plan,” says Michelle L. Palacio, senior vice president of the Division of Strategic Communications, Government and External Affairs. “Through the support of these funds, we will continue to excel student success and research excellence. We are truly grateful to our legislators and all those who are advocates for FIU.”
The university has been a leading force in solving the state’s critical nursing shortage, Partnering with HCA Healthcare to receive $1.5 million for its Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences (NWCNHS) in a partnership to expand its faculty and offer scholarships to increase nursing enrollment.
“HCA Florida Healthcare and FIU have a longstanding relationship and a shared commitment to serving South Florida,” said Chuck Hall, national group president of HCA Healthcare. “We are thrilled to announce this partnership with FIU to help address the nursing faculty shortage by supporting programs that help expand the number of registered nurses qualified to teach our country’s future nurses.”
FIU’s various collaborations with industry-leading groups have led to the school becoming a reliable source of research and innovation in the South Florida community.
FIU’s work with nearby health facilities, like Cleveland Clinic Florida, assists in the advancing of cancer treatment and resulted in former state Senator Anitere Flores and current state Representative Bryan Avila, chair of House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, advocating for the school to receive a further $2 million in state appropriations.
The additional funding would allow for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification — an important certification that would propel FIU to the forefront of this field at a national level, expanding the lab’s capacity to work with hospitals and patients across the country.
The lab would additionally become the first CLIA-certified lab dedicated to functional drug testing in Florida.