Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced the University of Reno, Nevada would receive $2,493,068 from the Department of Energy to conduct critical energy research as part of a grant program she has championed in the Senate. Cortez Masto has long advocated for to steer research funds to areas of the country that have historically received fewer federal resources.
“I call Nevada the Innovation State because we continue to engage in cutting-edge research like this that supports our growing tech economy,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m thrilled to see federal funds I advocated for going to UNR, and I’ll continue working to support our state’s energy, technology, and higher education industries and the jobs they create.”
“We are extremely grateful for Sen. Cortez-Masto’s continued support of the research mission of our Carnegie R1 land-grant University, particularly for important resources in the energy sector,” said University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval. “We have a number of key faculty and programs that benefit from this type of ESPSCoR funding. This is another important step in enhancing our research capabilities, infrastructure and impact as Nevada realizes a more diverse economy that leverages our greatest research discoveries for the future.”
The funding for the UNR grant is provided through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program and is intended to improve geographic distribution of Federal R&D funding, strengthen research capabilities in underserved regions of the country, and enable institutions in those regions to better compete for Federal R&D funding. Cortez Masto has consistently pushed for EPSCoR funding in order to support research across Nevada.
###