In fall 2025, Boise State University achieved landmark research accomplishments that advanced its R1 momentum and created new opportunities for students and the state of Idaho.
For Idaho, Boise State became the first university to be awarded multiple prestigious and competitive research awards, including:
- $10.7 million National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Research Development Program (NIH-CTR-D) award as the lead organization, collaborating with Idaho State University, University of Idaho and the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center to address the significant need for clinical and translational health research in the state of Idaho.
- $2 million National Science Foundation Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (NSF EFRI) award to advance organoid intelligence work.
- $1.7 million National Institutes of Health Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) to investigate molecules that inhibit communication between bacteria.
- $1 million award to the Idaho Policy Institute as part of The City of Boise’s $6.6 million grant from the U.S. Treasury’s Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act program to address housing instability in the community. Boise stands as one of just six communities in the U.S.—and the only city in the western U.S—to receive this award.
In a series of pivotal “firsts” for the university, Boise State also broke internal records when it received the largest NSF award in university history. The $7.4 million NSF EPSCoR Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) award funds the creation of AWESOME, the Center for Advancing Workforce Experience through Semiconductors, Outreach, and Mentoring Excellence.
Boise State researchers won a $2 million National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) grant to lead responsible AI graduate training in Idaho by creating the Responsibility in Innovation and Scholarship Experience (RISE) program. The NSF Research Traineeship program selected 15 institutions nationwide to boost the next generation of STEM leaders in AI, quantum, biotech and more through the program’s largest annual allocation to date of $45 million. This award has significant implications for AI education in Idaho.
Additionally, the National Security Agency designated Boise State as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research through the 2030 academic year, highlighting the university’s outstanding research contributions and commitment to advancing cybersecurity. With this appointment, Boise State became one of only seven institutions across the US to claim the following five designations: National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research; National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense; GenCyber; Scholarship for Service institution; Cyber Service Academy. Boise State is the only university in Idaho, and the entire Northwest US to claim these five designations.
Nancy Glenn, Boise State’s vice president for the Division of Research and Economic Development, commended the university’s faculty and research support staff for their unwavering commitment to research advancement during a year of challenge.
“These first-of-their-kind awards and accomplishments demonstrate Boise State’s growing research strength and the exceptional teamwork of our faculty and staff, who are collaborating in new ways and adapting to an evolving research environment,” Glenn said.
These awards not only signify growing interest and investment in the university’s research output, but they also represent countless hours of investment by Boise State faculty, deans, staff and students to answer the needs of communities in Idaho and across the globe, to expand the knowledge base of every discipline, and to prepare the next generation of Boise State graduates to enter the workforce with professional experience.
Behind these achievements is an extensive and often unseen network of support. No research award or sponsored program investment would be possible without the dedication and technical expertise of Boise State’s research administrators across the colleges and the Division of Research and Economic Development. Their efforts ensure researchers can focus on discovery and innovation.