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Elected officials appropriate nearly $40 million to support priorities across ����ӰԺ

University of ����ӰԺ System leaders today expressed their sincere appreciation to the state's congressional delegation for securing federal funding in the FY 2026 federal appropriations bills. These investments support critical research, agricultural innovation, disaster response, health care access and national security initiatives across the UM System’s four universities and statewide Extension network.

“These investments strengthen ����ӰԺ’s role as a national leader in research, education and innovation,” said Todd Graves, chair of the University of ����ӰԺ Board of Curators. “We are deeply grateful to ����ӰԺ’s congressional delegation for their leadership and continued confidence in the University of ����ӰԺ System to produce results that benefit our students, our state and the nation.”

University of ����ӰԺ President Mun Choi added that the funding directly advances the system’s land grant mission.

“The incredible support of our federal leaders delivers meaningful impact for ����ӰԺ and the nation,” Choi said. "Their partnership helps our faculty, researchers and students focus on solutions that matter to Americans — strengthening domestic cancer treatment capabilities, supporting our farmers and ranchers and advancing innovations critical to national defense. We are grateful for this transformative investment in our mission."  

Securing America’s nuclear leadership, medical supply chain, and defense readiness

The University of ����ӰԺ Research Reactor (MURR) is the largest university research reactor in the nation and the only domestic source for four radioisotopes used as the active ingredient in treatments for more than a dozen kinds of cancer, serving more than 450,000 patients each year. MURR is a cornerstone of America’s medical isotope supply chain and a strategic national asset for nuclear research and testing.

Through the leadership of U.S. Reps. Bob Onder and Mark Alford, the University of ����ӰԺ secured $8.4 million in funding for radioisotope processing equipment and essential reactor safety and reliability systems. These targeted investments strengthen domestic production capacity, reinforce safety and operational resilience and help ensure that the United States maintains a secure, reliable supply of lifesaving medical isotopes.

U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt supported additional federal investment to expand MURR’s role in Department of Defense and Department of Energy research on mobile microreactor technologies. This work directly supports military operational energy needs, including power generation in remote and contested environments, as well as radiation hardening of materials and electronics for space and defense applications.

“MURR is a national asset that delivers real results for Americans every day,” said Matt Sanford, MURR’s executive director. “From creating lifesaving cancer treatments to conducting groundbreaking research that strengthens our nation’s science and energy resilience, these investments ensure the United States maintains secure, domestic capabilities in areas that matter most.”

Advancing ����ӰԺ agriculture, water resources, and rural health

Longstanding University of ����ӰԺ programs such as the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, or FAPRI, provide farmers, ranchers and policymakers with data driven analysis and research that support agricultural productivity and rural economies across ����ӰԺ and the nation. ����ӰԺ’s federal delegation — led by Rep. Sam Graves and joined by Reps. Ann Wagner, Jason Smith, Onder and Alford — supported continued program funding to support policy research centers like FAPRI.

Reliable weather monitoring and water resource management are essential to protecting lives, agriculture, and critical infrastructure across ����ӰԺ. To address long standing gaps in severe weather coverage, Graves secured $5 million to support construction of a state-of-the-art weather radar station in northeast ����ӰԺ to be operated by the University of ����ӰԺ at the Greenley Research Farm in Novelty, Mo. The project will expand the ����ӰԺ Mesonet network, improve real time forecasting and strengthen tornado and severe weather warnings for communities across North ����ӰԺ, particularly in areas impacted by past storms.

In addition, Graves supported $2.1 million to advance work at the ����ӰԺ Water Center, which is leading efforts to improve flood and drought modeling, water resource planning and river management in the Lower ����ӰԺ River Basin. Together, these investments strengthen emergency preparedness, protect agricultural producers and ensure ����ӰԺ communities are better equipped to respond to increasingly severe weather events while making responsible use of taxpayer dollars.

Protecting America’s food supply and strengthening animal health are core national priorities. The planned Agricultural Animal Genetic Engineering and Health Facility, an ARS co-located research facility at the University of ����ӰԺ in Columbia, will expand research focused on animal genetics, disease prevention and biosecurity. Alford supported $3 million to advance the future construction of this facility, reinforcing ����ӰԺ’s leadership in animal agriculture and helping safeguard a secure, domestically produced food supply.

Expanding access to specialized health care for rural families is a core part of the University of ����ӰԺ’s land grant mission. With support from Onder, nearly $1 million will expand telehealth capabilities at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, allowing specialized autism and neurodevelopmental services to be delivered through county Extension offices across the state. This investment will help families in rural and underserved communities, many with fewer than 20,000 residents, access high quality care locally rather than traveling long distances. The project will improve access to essential services while leveraging existing infrastructure to better serve ����ӰԺ families.

“These investments protect lives, strengthen our rural communities and ensure ����ӰԺ agriculture remains competitive,” said Chris Daubert, dean of MU’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources.

Strengthening America’s pharmaceutical supply chain and domestic manufacturing

At the University of ����ӰԺ-St. Louis (UMSL), Rep. Wesley Bell supported more than $1 million to advance the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Hub, a new initiative designed to bring the production of essential medicines back to the United States. The hub serves as a research and manufacturing center where university researchers and industry partners work together to develop more efficient ways to produce the active ingredients and finished forms of commonly used medications.

Currently, the United States relies heavily on foreign suppliers for critical medicines. By focusing on modern manufacturing methods that allow drugs to be produced more efficiently and at lower cost, the hub aims to strengthen domestic pharmaceutical production, reduce reliance on overseas suppliers and ensure a more reliable supply of essential medications.

Through partnerships with industry and health care providers, the initiative will support U.S. supply chain security, create high quality manufacturing jobs and position ����ӰԺ as a leader in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Supporting national defense and emerging technologies

����ӰԺ University of Science and Technology will continue its work to support the Critical Hybrid Advanced Materials Processing multistate initiative, a coordinated effort to rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity for materials critical to national defense. The project brings together universities and manufacturers across several states to strengthen U.S. supply chains for components used in Army systems and next generation combat vehicles, reducing reliance on foreign sources for essential materials.

Additionally, the University of ����ӰԺ-Columbia and the University of ����ӰԺ-Kansas City will collaborate with national partners on electromagnetic spectrum and electronic warfare research designed to strengthen military capabilities and decision making in contested and increasingly complex operational environments.