Staff recommends $10.6M in Board of Regents Support Fund awards; process and success rates detailed
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Summary
Staff presented the FY24/25 Board of Regents Support Fund recommendations, describing a competitive process, $8.5M available for competitive awards with about a 25% success rate, and $86 endowed-professorship matches; the Board ratified the staff-led process and recommended awards.
Board staff presented the Board of Regents Support Fund (BORSF) FY24/25 award recommendations and outlined the competitive and matching processes that led to the proposed awards. The presentation emphasized the program’s constitutional basis (Article VII §10.1), funding source (Louisiana Educational Quality Trust Fund proceeds), and program goals: improve higher education quality and enhance economic development.
Staff described a two-track approach: competitive grants (research & development, departmental enhancement, federal-matching projects) and non-competitive endowment matching (chairs, professorships, graduate scholarships). For FY24/25, applicants submitted 431 competitive proposals requesting roughly $44.5 million; the fund could support about $8.5 million, yielding an approximate 25% project-level success rate and 19% by dollars. Competitive awards recommended included federal match projects, 26 departmental enhancements (largely equipment purchases and graduate fellowships), and 39 R&D awards. On the non-competitive side, staff recommended 86 endowed professorship/scholarship matches (endowment matching remains a large, long-term portion of the fund).
Staff walked the committee through the solicitation, external-review, and debrief process. Reviewers’ consultant reports were released April 1; staff recommended approval primarily to ratify that staff followed the published process and scoring criteria. Contingencies were explained: if awardees refuse funding, the next ranked proposals may be funded; if revenue falls short, staff would reduce awards in rank order.
Board members asked about indirect-cost allowances (25% cap in STEM R&D programs; other programs generally do not allow indirects) and matching requirements (equipment purchases require 50% institutional match; faculty buyout time requires 1:1 institutional match). The Board approved the FY24/25 funding recommendations and contingencies as presented.
