Pueblo – The Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR), located at Colorado State University Pueblo, is pleased to announce the request for applications for a cannabis research award funding opportunity for projects starting in Fall 2022.
The ICR launched its first competition for cannabis research funding in fall of 2020 resulting in 10 novel research projects being awarded funding. The institute is looking to build on that success with a second funding competition, which is scheduled to be launched in late January and with full applications due in late March, to support new research projects starting in the fall and contingent on appropriation of funding.
The mission of the ICR is to conduct research related to cannabis and to publicly disseminate the results of the research. Colorado has been at the forefront of cannabis legislation and an early supporter of cannabis research. The legal status of cannabis in Colorado has positioned the state to be a leader in cannabis research.
The ICR identifies that legalization of cannabis has led to ever-evolving public health questions, scientific inquiries, and interest in the application of the substantial number of biologically active phytochemicals, or compounds, produced by cannabis and other materials derived from cannabis.
“Cannabis as a research topic has rapidly gained interest with the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis,” said the director of the ICR, Chad Kinney, Ph.D. “Similarly, the move to make hemp an agricultural commodity has rapidly accelerated research on this raw material as well.”
The ICR has a vision to support the advancement of knowledge and understanding of cannabis, broadly defined, by supporting unbiased, high-quality research. The institute continues to support and impact the rapid public dissemination of cannabis related research nationally and internationally by hosting an annual research conference and by sponsoring the publication of the Journal of Cannabis Research in partnership with Springer Nature Publishing. More recently, the ICR began hosting a monthly webinar series focused on cannabis research in partnership with the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University.
“There are still a lot of research questions to be answered and the ICR is excited to be a part of the process of supporting the pursuit of answers,” said Kinney.
More information about the research funding opportunity and how to apply can be accessed here, https://www.csupueblo.edu/institute-of-cannabis-research/research/funding-opportunity.html.
The ICR was established in 2016 at CSU Pueblo, becoming the first multi-disciplinary cannabis research center at a regional comprehensive institution of higher education. The ICR supports research throughout the year and hosts a monthly webinar series with cannabis-related topics and guest speakers from throughout the United States. In addition to the monthly webinar series and the research conducted throughout the year, the ICR assists with the publication of the Journal of Cannabis Research.
