The partnering schools plan to create a research hub that could “serve as a national model and roadmap for emerging research institutions and other HBCUs as they seek to expand and strengthen their research enterprises,” according to the grant description.

Spelman President Dr. Helene Gayle said the grant “will have a significant and long-lasting impact on strengthening the research support infrastructure within the AUC.”

“It will provide the opportunity to advance knowledge and thought leadership and spur innovation and entrepreneurship. It will also enable Spelman and the collaborating AUC institutions to increase their role in the growth of the state’s economy,” she said in a written statement.

In total, the National Science Foundation program awarded about $20 million to four projects through the initiative. The foundation’s director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, said in a statement that the work is about “breaking down barriers in research access.”

Spelman received the largest of the grants. Other recipients include the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities; Pomona College and University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; and Iowa State University.