An engineering professor at Kansas University could be the beneficiary of a retention package from the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

The KBA’s investment committee recommended favorably a $612,502 investment over eight years under its Rising Star program to retain a KU professor who is being pursued by another university.

John Carlin, a former Kansas governor and an investment committee member, said that while the committee could not release the professor’s name at this time, the person was a “truly outstanding” researcher.

The professor’s name would become public if he chose to accept the package and the measure was approved by the KBA’s full board, said Brad Kemp, the KBA project director who has worked on the application. Kemp said he expected the measure would be submitted to the full board during its next meeting, scheduled for Jan. 23 and 24.

The $612,502 investment would support the faculty member’s salary and research infrastructure, including equipment and supplies, Kemp said, along with funds for a lecture series in the faculty member’s research field. It would be matched by the university by up to $2 million over the eight-year period.