ETSU wins $9.1M federal stimulus grant from NIH

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has won a $9.1 million federal stimulus grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is the largest federal grant ever awarded to the university's James H. Quillen College of Medicine.

ETSU will use the money to make major renovations to its biomedical research facility, including installation of new vent hoods and major upgrades to wireless capability, and heating and cooling systems throughout the building.  This, school officials say, will

• boost research productivity
• increase energy efficiency, and
• protect sensitive equipment from changes in temperature or humidity.

ETSU's Dr. Greg Ordway said the NIH funds will also make the university's medical researchers "more competitive when they're applying for big-dollar grants."

"With all the changes in science and technology, the building had really fallen way behind," Ordway said.  "Thirty years ago was essentially the beginning of the computer age, and now every piece of equipment you get is linked to a computer."

The renovations and upgrades will take place over the next five years.

"The funding process for grants is extremely competitive," said U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, Tennessee's congressman for the 1st District.  "Not only will this impact research, but it will also create more jobs at ETSU."

"The biomedical industry is a target industry for us," says Tom Ferguson, president of the Regional Alliance for Economic Development, which represents eight counties in Northeast Tennessee and two counties in Southwest Virginia.  "This is important because it can potentially attract significant research projects from biomedical companies."