The Florida Department of Health is pleased to announce that 64 Florida scientists will receive research grants totaling over $21.4 million beginning July 1, 2009 contingent upon the Governor’s approval of the budget and associated legislation. The larger than usual number of awards was made possible by a recent decision by the Florida Legislature to dedicate up to $50 million of the state tobacco user fee increase to the James & Esther King Biomedical Research Program and the Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program in FY 2009-2010.

The new awards were selected from 123 grant applications submitted in February in response to two FY 2009-2010 Calls for Grant Applications; 58 sought funding from the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program and 65 applied for Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program grants. Submitted by Florida researchers from 20 institutions, the total funding requested was over $44.1 million.

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