LITTLE ROCK, ARK. - Philander Smith College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (historically black colleges and universities) are among ten Arkansas universities that will share a five-year, $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support research.

According to source, the funding comes under the foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, which sets up partnerships among government, higher education, and industry. The grant was made through the science and technology division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

The top investigators are Gail McClure of the AEDC and Min Zou of the University of Arkansas

Philander Smith and UAPB will join the University of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Monticello, the University of Central Arkansas, Ouachita Baptist, Southern Arkansas and Arkansas State.

UAMS' research director says one project will make it easier to study neurons in the laboratory.