Research Funding Switch TAMPA (WUSF) - It's been a little less than a week since the state budget was finalized. Yet various institutions and agencies are still determining the effects of this year's money crunch. One example, the legislature's funding of university research projects.

Florida's public universities submitted 41 different research projects for funding.

The Board of Governors which oversees the university system paid for an independent assessment and ranking of each project. The top seven were selected for $87million in state funding.

But, lawmakers rejected that process and instead chose only the top two projects and replaced the others with energy research proposals.

Chancellor Mark Rosenberg offered a positive approach to the funding switch.

"Clearly, the most important thing for us is there's a growing recognition that advanced research is needed to be competitive in a growing economy," Rosenberg said. "I'm really pleased the legislature is ready to invest there."

The Board of Governors will get an update on the research funding as well as vote a tuition hike rollback during a telephone conference meeting.
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