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�鶹��Ʒ��Ƶ (FAU) and Nova Southeastern University (NSU) helped launch the newly formed , a $5 million grant program funded by Wayne and Lucretia Weiner. The program brings together researchers from both universities and local government agencies to implement practical, research-based, near-term, high-impact solutions to Southeast Florida's environmental challenges.

More than 150 researchers and community leaders, along with officials from both Florida Atlantic and Nova Southeastern, came together on Sept. 16 for a special kickoff reception at Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park, FL. The event featured a welcome address from Wayne and Lucretia Weiner and remarks from Ken Dawson-Scully, Ph.D., �鶹��Ʒ��Ƶprovost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Rob Smith, Ph.D., NSU interim assistant vice president for research and assistant dean of discovery science and research administration.

Both �鶹��Ʒ��Ƶand NSU hold the Carnegie R1 designation, the highest classification for research activity, reserved for the universities with the most robust research enterprises in the country. WLW Seed4Solutions puts that research power to work on the problems closest to home, bringing together two of the region's top research universities to collaborate with the governments that serve their communities so promising ideas can move out of the lab and into the places that need them.

“Standing together as two institutions united at the epicenter of our region’s environmental challenges, the strong turnout and visible excitement in the kickoff event was unmistakable. Filled with passionate researchers and leaders from both universities, the formal launch of WLW Seed4Solutions marked a powerful new era of collaboration,” said Valery Forbes, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. “We are immensely grateful to Wayne and Lucretia Weiner for establishing this generous grant program, which empowers us to align our institutions and rapidly deliver actionable environmental solutions for South Florida.”

Recognizing that many promising environmental solutions remain unfunded because they fall outside the scope of traditional academic research programs, federal agencies, or other standard funding channels, the Donors established WLW Seed4Solutions to bridge this gap. By connecting university researchers with government agency partners through flexible seed funding, the program accelerates the development and implementation of solutions that create measurable benefits for Southeast Florida's environment and communities. 

Following an overview of the WLW Seed4Solutions program at the kickoff event, researchers had the opportunity to meet, mingle, and discuss ideas with their potential new collaborative partners.

Projects funded by the program must address a specific problem, demonstrate a clear pathway to a solution, and be developed with a local government partner positioned to put the work to use across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. The program supports work across five priority areas: coasts and climate; water quality and marine health; ecosystems and biodiversity; environmental health, policy and communities; and environmental data and technology.

Student engagement is central to the program's mission, and graduate and undergraduate student involvement and compensation are required for projects with awards over $250,000. Projects create meaningful roles for graduate and undergraduate researchers, offering hands-on experience, mentorship, and professional development, with priority given to students not yet engaged in research. In doing so, the program invests not only in solutions for today but in the next generation of scientists, policymakers, and environmental leaders.

Full details are available at .