UF has committed $2.5 million in state dollars to create a hub for researchers from different departments to collaborate on space-related projects.  

Called the UF Space Mission Institute, the project received funding from President Ben Sasse’s strategic funding set aside from $130 million sent by the Florida Legislature in 2023. The institute will be housed under UF Research and already has key focuses like brain reactions to outer space travel and reducing impacts between the International Space Station and space debris. 

Dr. Rob Ferl, a UF professor and assistant vice president for research, said in a release that the institute will allow the university to continue its role in space research.  

“UF has a long and distinguished history of research in space – from low-Earth orbit to the moon and Mars and beyond, but this new institute will provide a vehicle for a diverse group of researchers to collaborate in new and exciting ways,” said Ferl, Ph.D., assistant vice president for research and a distinguished professor in IFAS, who has conducted decades of research on plants in space.  

Ferl has researched the impacts of plants in space for decades. In 2021, Ferl and other UF personnel sent three plants into space with Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic’s trip into orbit.  

“The Space Mission Institute will be an incredible resource for UF, and it will help us work closely with the brightest minds of our time to solve some of the world’s biggest problems,” Sasse said in a press release. “As the state of Florida’s flagship university, UF has an important role to play in this sector.”   

The institute will start with interdisciplinary seed projects.  

Ferl and Dr. Anna-Lisa Paul will study if plants can grow in lunar soil. Dr. Amy Williams is searching for signs of life on Mars and has been a member of the Perseverance and Curiosity rover teams. Dr. Sarah Ballard will follow through on her hypothesis that a third of planets near the galaxy’s most common stars have orbits agreeable to liquid water. 

The institute will also help attract top talent in the field, Ferl said. The press release added that the institute will look to strengthen ties to Space Florida and the U.S. military’s Space Force.  

The commercial space industry in Florida is expected to create $5.8 billion in economic impact.