Tim Ford meets with Senator Susan Collins on importance of various research programs to Maine’s economy

Tim Ford, Ph.D., dean of Graduate Studies and interim dean of the Westbrook College of Health Professions, recently met with Senator Susan Collins to discuss the importance of the Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) from NIH, and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) awards from NSF, NASA, USDA, DOE, & DOD to the economy of Maine.  The gathering was part of the annual general meeting of the  EPSCoR/IDeA Coalition, of which Ford is Maine’s voting member, in Washington D.C.

The programs that were discussed translate into multiple millions of dollars in the Maine economy, hundreds of jobs, and a trained workforce that addresses many of the state’s most pressing societal needs.

Also meeting with Ford and Senator Collins were Pat Hand, vice chair of the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board, chair elect of the National EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation, PI of the Maine IDeA Networks of Biomedical Excellence, and administrative director of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory; and Vicki Nemeth, Maine EPSCoR director/ NSF EPSCoR associate project director and director of research administration and EPSCoR at the University of Maine.

Ford is the chair of the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board and past PI of the Montana IDeA Networks of Biomedical Excellence.
 

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.