In June 2019, the Office for Research & Economic Development (ORED) launched a five-year strategic plan for research at The University of Alabama (UA). The plan – emanating from UA’s goal to, “increase the University’s productivity and innovation in research, scholarship, and creative activities that impact economic and societal development,” – focuses on six strategic themes: (1) Research Environment, (2) Alabama Research Institutes, (3) Transformative Initiatives, (4) Translating Intellectual Property, (5) Economic and Business Engagement, and (6) Assessing Progress and Impact.For the ninth straight fiscal year, UA sponsored awards were at an all-time high and new sponsored awards more than doubled to $211.4 million in FY22. The overall doubling of support for sponsored pr