The Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Research Universities (HSRU) will lead a project to increase the number of doctoral graduates in technical fields from its 22 institutions from across the nation. The initiative is supported by a new $9.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

The effort, titled Hispanic Serving Research Institutions Research and STEM Education (HSI-RSE) Project, is co-led by UCF and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). UCF’s portion of the funding totals approximately $4.8 million.

The project aims to address the critical need for high-quality STEM talent for national defense by accelerating advanced research, enhancing collaboration on best practices and expanding access to STEM education and research. In addition to funding defense-related research projects, the effort will identify and mentor highly qualified undergraduate students through applications to graduate school at all 22 Alliance institutions.

Established in 2022, HSRU is a voluntary association of the 22 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) that are also in the top 5% of universities in the United States for research as determined by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. HSIs are defined by Title V of the Higher Education Act, where at least 25% of their undergraduate student enrollment is Hispanic.

Azuri Gonzalez, executive director of HSRU and director of partnerships and operations at the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success at UTEP, serves as the project’s principal investigator.

“We are excited to lead this transformative project that directly supports our mission of increasing access to STEM education for underrepresented groups,” Gonzalez says. “This grant provides a unique opportunity to shape the future of STEM fields as a multi-institutional consortium.”

Co-principal investigators include Grace Bochenek ’98PhD, executive director of UCF’s newly forming Pegasus Research Institute and director of the Institute for Simulation and Training, and Shery Welsh, executive director of the Aerospace Center at UTEP.

“We are extremely proud to be part of this collaboration that has far-reaching impact for our national security and advances STEM outreach and research opportunities for our students,” Bochenek says. “We look forward to refining and improving this program in the future and to working with HSRU and the University of Texas El Paso and other universities who share our passion in this area.”

Key components of the initiative include cohort-based fellowship advising for graduate students, fellowships, and competitive research opportunities focused on DOD technical priorities and leadership programs for both faculty and students.

“By leveraging the strengths of institutions across the Alliance, we aim to build robust pathways for talented STEM students ready to contribute to national security and innovation,” says Cynthia Larive, chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and chair of the HSRU Alliance. “This is a critical step toward ensuring that the U.S. remains at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancement.”

“We have worked very closely with the Department of Defense to set up a program that does exceptional research in areas important to national security and supports more graduate students,” says Heather Wilson, UTEP president and inaugural HSRU chair. “I’m particularly pleased that the graduate fellowship model that has been successful at UTEP will be extended across the Alliance so that more exceptional students can find their way into the nation’s advanced engineering and scientific workforce.”

The grant will run through 2029. HSRU officials will seek to expand this cooperative model to include partnerships with other federal agencies in the future.