UMMC Receives $2.4 Million Federal Grant to Modernize Cancer Research Space

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The funding, awarded through the National Institute of Standards and Technology, aims to modernize facilities that have not been updated in nearly 30 years as part of the hospital’s long-term push to earn a National Cancer Institute designation.

Federal Funding and Grant Details

According to announcements from Hyde-Smith and Guest, the $2.4 million was secured through the FY2026 appropriations process via the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency inside the U.S. Department of Commerce. Both lawmakers serve on their respective chambers’ Appropriations Committees, with Hyde-Smith on the Senate panel and Guest on the House committee. The money is earmarked specifically to rehabilitate and equip roughly 14,000 square feet of current research space within the UMMC Research Wing, updating laboratories and infrastructure that have remained untouched for nearly three decades.

The Path to National Cancer Institute Designation

The infrastructure updates form a core component of UMMC’s broader strategy to secure a National Cancer Institute designation, a status that unlocks opportunities for additional federal funding and validates an institution’s advanced clinical research capabilities. Currently, there are no NCI-designated facilities located in Mississippi, Louisiana, or Arkansas, leaving patients across the region to travel significant distances to access specialized care.

“Upgrading this space at UMMC is just one more step toward creating a facility that will draw more cancer researchers to our state,” Hyde-Smith said in a joint statement. “The world-class work done there, along with the planned UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute, is part of our goal to get that critical NCI designation, and I’m pleased to help reach these worthy goals.”

Broader Expansion Plans in Jackson

The laboratory renovations run parallel to UMMC’s separate initiative to construct a massive five-story, 250,000-plus square foot Cancer Center and Research Institute building in Jackson.

“The University of Mississippi Medical Center has been a national leader in medicine since it hosted the first heart transplant in 1964,” Guest said. “Now, UMMC is taking a critical step in attaining its federal designation as a National Cancer Institute. I am proud to serve UMMC through my work in Congress and will continue to support the institution’s legacy of excellence.”

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