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2 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 $40M Major Research Instrumentation Award UConn Health Leads New NSF Network for Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Prof. Geoffrey Hoch, UConn School of Medicine, is the Director of NAN "The historic nature of this grant just goes to show that UConn, UConn Health, and the State of Connecticut are national research powerhouses with exceptional faculty who are academic leaders when it comes to ground-breaking innovation and discovery," said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. Hoch has long been a leader in the field of NMR technology and accessibility, serving as the director of both NMRbox, an online NMR software resource, and the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB). "Thanks to NSF's funding, our new Network will empower researchers to have open access to the latest advanced NMR technology with the necessary computational power to fuel future discoveries", said Hoch. Research success is a key indicator of a university's societal impact and academic reputation. UConn research is active on the front lines of major issues confronting Connecticut, from the COVID-19 pandemic to protecting our coastline and infrastructure from the ravages of climate change. UConn research provides practical experiences that prepare students to excel in the workforce of the future. The knowledge generated by UConn's research enterprise is an economic driver, leading to new technologies, commercial products, and creative enterprises. UConn Research: a strong partner in Connecticut's future. health.uconn.edu $375.6 M In new awards for UConn Research in FY 2020-2021, a $90M increase over 2019-2020. In June 2021, a team from UConn Health was awarded a $40M National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to establish a new distributed Network for Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) in collaboration with the University of Georgia and the University of Wisconsin. The Network for Advanced NMR (or NAN) is led by Prof. Jeff Hoch, director of NAN and professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the UConn School of Medicine. Nuclear magnetic resonance is a powerful method for analyzing molecules that can help identify biomarkers in biofluids like blood, urine, or spinal fluid. Knowledge gained through NMR can help clinicians diagnose patients and determine how they are responding to treatment. "Our biggest hope is that NAN and advanced NMR technology's expanded use will accelerate the identification of future disease biomarkers and ultimately improve the health and outcomes of patients everywhere, through future advances in diagnostics, drug discovery, treatments and, especially, much-needed cures," says Jeffrey Hoch, NAN director. This $40 million grant, the largest in the University's history, will advance molecular research nationally for chemistry, materials science, and bioscience.