The University of Oklahoma is launching a campus-wide initiative to enhance research facilities, workforce development and public health.
The university announced the launch of Project 200 earlier this month, a program expected to hire approximately 200 researchers who will be tasked with improving public health, bolstering the state’s economy and creating more opportunities for the workforce.
Project 200 involves recruiting approximately 200 world-renowned researchers with records of securing major federal research funding and rising research leaders.
The researchers are expected to help uplift the health of the state and bring life-saving clinical trials closer to home, strengthen storm forecasting and resilience, support readiness in national security and defense, drive advancements in energy production, and create greater opportunity for Oklahomans to build careers and futures in this state.
Oklahoma ranks 45th nationally in overall health and 49th in health outcomes, highlighting the need for advances in prevention, treatment and access to care. Oklahoma also ranks third nationally for tornado frequency since 1950, making weather resilience and forecasting critical to protecting lives and infrastructure, the university said.
By 2032, the initiative is projected to generate nearly $100 million annually in new federal research funding, and over the next decade is expected to support more than 2,000 new jobs, produce an estimated $95 million in new state and local tax revenue, and help train more than 1,000 scientists in Oklahoma, the university said.
Goals of the new program include:
- Expanding access to clinical trials and specialized care, advancing precision medicine and pursuing ambitious long-term goals, including reducing cancer mortality by 10% and reducing diabetes-related complications and deaths by 30%.
- Strengthening global leadership in weather science, advancing forecasting, risk reduction and community resilience to better protect lives and infrastructure.
- Accelerating emergency response innovation where research, workforce development and operational applications converge to support national readiness.
- Driving advancements in reliable and future-ready energy production.
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