LEXINGTON — Three state universities will split $13.5 million in state and federal funding for interdisciplinary research in biochemical and environmental sciences.

        The grant includes $9 million from the National Science Foundation and $4.5 million from the state through the Kentucky Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, University of Kentucky President Lee Todd said Monday.

        The money will be shared by the University of Kentucky ($7.2 million), the University of Louisville ($4.8 million) and Murray State University ($1.5 million).

        At UK, the money will be used to update laboratory facilities and purchase state-of-the-art research equipment, hire faculty researchers and support staff and establish a statewide network of Kentucky experts in a number of scientific fields.

        Kentucky will focus on research in the areas of genes and proteins and environmental science, Mr. Todd said.

        “The real winner in this is the state of Kentucky,” he said. “For the economy of Kentucky to change, research has to take place.

        “This is the kind of technological infrastructure that you need to have to get the best researchers who can use the best equipment to do the best research that eventually will put the state of Kentucky in a different position than it has been in the past.”

        The investment in equipment and faculty will help “build a knowledge-based economy for future generations,” said Mr. Todd.

        “I believe success in the research laboratory will be reflected in dozens of new industries for Kentucky,” he said.

        John Connolly, the NSF-EPSCoR project director and principal investigator for the initiative, said the focus on technology and research will make Kentucky an attractive place for cutting-edge industrial development.

        “Genomics and proteomics are the basis of a huge part of the biotechnology sector — ...probably the hottest topic in the industry today,” Mr. Connolly said. “Environmental testing is an area that we believe will be one of the most important areas — perhaps the most important area — of scientific research in the very near future because it is critical to the future of life on our planet.”

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