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UVM highlights VGAIN, biomedical work and workforce role in Senate Appropriations briefing

Senate Appropriations Committee · February 5, 2026

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Summary

President Marlene Trump told the Senate Appropriations Committee about UVM research initiatives including the VGAIN tech hub, a rural Biola Labs partnership and biomedical research teams (including work on RSV and tick‑borne vaccines), and said federal and private awards are in final review stages.

Marlene Trump used her Senate Appropriations appearance to spotlight University of Vermont research activity and how it ties to workforce and economic development in the state.

Trump said UVM has been named an R1 research university and touted extramural funding that brings research dollars into Vermont, including awards connected to a VGAIN tech hub. She said the university received an award of about $3.4 million and a separate roughly $20 million federal award related to semiconductor work; Trump said one award had been frozen during an administrative pause and was later reopened and that all parts of the application were in final review.

On biomedical research, Trump said UVM is hosting the first rural Biola Labs site and highlighted teams working on vaccines. "This is the same research team that developed the RSV vaccine," she said, and she asserted the vaccine has reduced infant hospitalizations globally by about 80 percent since its introduction. She also described researchers working on a vaccine for tick‑borne illnesses.

Trump linked research to workforce outcomes, saying UVM educates students across bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs and prepares graduates for roles in healthcare, engineering and other sectors. She cited student research and commercialization efforts as pathways that attract faculty and research dollars.

What comes next: Trump asked the committee to "keep your eyes peeled" on the VGAIN project and said grant reviews were in final stages. The presentation framed research and commercialization as both economic development and public‑health investments for Vermont.