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Visit N.C. Central University's home page and you will see the University has done it again.
After winning the $4.3 million dollar grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse less than a month ago, NCCU has just received a $7 million dollar grant over the next five years from the National Cancer Institute.
This is the largest sponsored research grant in NCCU history.
The NCI is an institute that is a part of the National Institutes of Health. It was established under the National Cancer Institute Act of 1937.
The act was setup to aid in coordinating research relating to cancer and to establish the NCI.
According to the NCI's website, today it conducts and supports research, training and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer.
The NCI has awarded one of two Comprehensive Minority Institution Cancer Center Partnership Grants to NCCU and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center UNC-Chapel Hill.
The total amount of the grant is $12 million, with NCCU awarded $7 million and UNC – Chapel Hill awarded $4.9 million.
"This was a lot of work but it is a team effort," said Ricardo Richardson, director of the cancer research program.
The grant will fund seven projects.
Some of the projects include promoting physical activity in black barbershops which will be headed by public health department chair David Jolly.
The focus of this project is to promote the awareness of prostate cancer in the African American male community within barbershop.
Another project funded by the grant is the "Partners in training program."
This program was designed to give students the chance to receive training at UNC in their choice of a lab setting or in the school's Public Health program.
Eight students will be chosen and are expected to make a two summer commitment to the program.
Deciding what projects would be funded by the grant was not an easy process.
"Almost fifteen projects were submitted, the program steering committee and decided what projects should be funded by the grant," said Richardson.
The grant is result of a year and a half of work. The application ended up being 750 pages long.
NCCU faculty involved in the process said that all of the work was will worth it.
"It was worth the time and effort put into this project" said Sacajawea Gray, program manager. Gray's duties included coordinating meetings, collecting information and submitting the application in correct form.
"We worked holidays and we are so happy," said Gray.
The partnership between NCCU and UNC-Chapel Hill began back in 2000 under the Chambers' administration, when the Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute was initially built.
Then Chancellor Julius Chambers wanted to establish a competitive research program at NCCU.
The first grant was awarded in 2001 which brought in $2.5 million dollars and was used from 2001-2006.
"That grant was used to help setup the infrastructure here," said Richardson.
"It was used to bring in new scientist, new equipment and new machines."
Today the partnership between NCCU and UNC still runs strong.
The program is designed to pair each scientist from their institution with another scientist that shares the same interest.
"In five years we expect to accomplish everything we said we would do and to reapply for the continued grant," said Richardson.
"Winning this grant put us on the ladder. At the end of five years we want to show that a HBCU can pair with big schools with this grant."
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