KEENE, NH (MyKeeneNow) — The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has granted approximately $8 million each to research teams in New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Maine to enhance their research and development capabilities and drive scientific progress nationwide.

Leading New Hampshire’s efforts, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) heads the NH-LIFT project, which aims to create a comprehensive network involving all 17 colleges and universities in the state, including Keene State College. This initiative focuses on strengthening the research capacity of undergraduate institutions, community colleges, and industry partners.

NH-LIFT, which stands for New Hampshire Long-term Investment to Fuel Transformative Research, will collaborate closely with the Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program to foster connections between academia and the business sector.

The University of New Hampshire led the previous NSF investment in New Hampshire, the $20 million NH BioMade initiative, which supports the biomaterials industry and involved Keene State faculty and students.

Over the next four years, NH-LIFT aims to secure new research opportunities at partner institutions, strengthen educational and research collaborations with regional industry partners, and share best practices to recruit and support a diverse group of STEM students. Additionally, the project will build a cohort of alumni to provide near-peer mentoring and recruitment.

Partner institutions include Dartmouth College, Plymouth State University, New England College, Saint Anselm College, Colby-Sawyer College, Franklin Pierce University, and the Community College System of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire’s U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan highlighted the significance of this funding for advancing scientific progress, job creation, and economic growth in the state.