Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State University professor Dr. Andrew “Drew” Fleming was one of 12 selected statewide to receive the Emerging Research Leaders Program (ERL) grant.

The grant is part of a new initiative to boost the number of researchers from Arkansas who submit competitive proposals for federal funding opportunities.

AR-NETWORK and the Arkansas Research Alliance manage the Emerging Research Leaders Program to help establish and grow sustainable research programs. Participants are expected to develop and submit two to four competitive external proposals during their award period.

“I’m very appreciative of this recognition from the ARA’s AR-NETWORK program. Recipients were selected based on their potential to lead competitive research programs in areas that were identified in the state’s science and technology plan — in my case, I’m looking to align with the steel industry we have in northeast Arkansas,” Fleming said.

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The Emerging Research Leaders Program awards $30,000 per year for up to two years to help early- to midcareer faculty develop research leadership skills. Unlike traditional research funding, this grant focuses on professional development.

Participants receive mentorship, proposal development training, and funding to generate preliminary data and partnerships that strengthen future federal grant applications.
Fleming expects this support will enhance ongoing campus research.

“A-State recently moved into third place for research expenditures among Arkansas colleges and universities, which is the highest among all non-R1 institutions in the state. My goal as part of the ERL program is to pursue multimillion-dollar research center and consortium-level awards where A-State will be the prime recipient,” Fleming said.

The program provides 24 months of funding for a full two-year period, contingent upon successful progress in developing or expanding a research program. A 12-month progress review determines eligibility for a second year of funding.

Fleming has ideas he plans to put into action with assistance from the ERL program.

“Two projects that I have immediately identified are an $8 million proposal to support an integrated steel research, education and workforce development initiative and acquisition of a high-performance computing platform to support computationally intensive research across campus,” Fleming said. “In terms of personal growth opportunities, I’ve identified two faculty fellowship opportunities that will allow me to work on-site at partner universities and Department of Energy national labs to expand my research program.”

A strong believer in supporting student research, Fleming aims to include student involvement during the ERL program.

“These opportunities will also give students the foundation to pursue fellowships and research opportunities of their own, including SURF Fellowships from ADHE, Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program,” said Fleming.

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