JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Precision Autism Center of Excellence in Jacksonville was among 10 new projects to receive strategic funding from the University of Florida, the President’s Office announced Monday.
The $500,000 allocated over a year to help create the center will expand the clinical capacity for the diagnostic evaluation, management and treatment of children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Dr. Linda R. Edwards, dean of the College of Medicine – Jacksonville, is optimistic that the Precision Autism Center of Excellence will have a significant effect on health care outcomes.
“We are thrilled to be receiving this opportunity to provide additional support to individuals with autism,” Edwards said. “As the number of children born with autism and related disorders continues to rise, our capacity to diagnose and offer treatment has been stretched. Even after diagnosis, access to needed services often gets delayed. Knowing that the center will enhance our capacity to offer care adds hope and excitement for the future.”
UF’s funding initiative is designed to advance interdisciplinary scholarship and enhance the student experience.
UF received $130 million in new funding from the Florida Legislature this year and received more than 250 submissions for strategic funding allocations. So far, 36 proposals have been selected and announced in three rounds.
The 19 proposals in the first round were awarded $13.4 million in funding on Oct. 3, and the seven proposals in the second round were awarded $5.4 million on Nov. 13.
The third round of strategic funding awardees, including the autism center, have been allocated a total of $10,872,000.
A final round of proposals will be announced at a future date.
Click here to see the full list of projects, including a program for enhancing access to cancer screenings, a center for advancing cell and gene therapies, an AI-augmented learning platform for mathematics, and a digital humanities lab.