U. research funds up despite economy

Despite current economic circumstances, the University of Utah has pulled in more than one-third of a billion dollars in research funding.

The $354.7 million garnered over the 2009 fiscal year, for scientific, engineering and medical research being done at the U., is a 16 percent annual increase. Funding was reportedly up more than $49 million, from $305.6 million the previous year.

"Most of this money comes from outside Utah, so it directly fuels our state's economy," said U. President Michael K. Young. "This research money provides laboratory jobs, fosters a top-notch education for students and advances the state of knowledge for humanity's benefit."

A small portion, $1.5 million, came to the university through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, but the remainder of the increase cannot be attributed to any single funding source or to any research field on campus, according to neurobiologist Tom Parks, the university's vice president for research.

Most likely explanations of the increase come from the fact that direct federal funding was up 15 percent, accounting for 65 percent of the university's research budget, with increases from both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. More than $34 million came from other universities, industry and associations and foundations interested in research being done at the U.

Federal spending was up, but statewide spending and research funding was down last year, as the state contributed more than $19 million to the school, a 4 percent decrease from previous years. However, private industry funding rose 27 percent, eliciting more than $43 million in grants to the university.

The funding increase "during the most competitive period in at least the last 25 years suggests we have successfully attracted and retained excellent researchers, and that the university provides an environment in which they can do the highest quality work," Parks said.

Faculty at the U. are also submitting more grant proposals and for higher amounts, including a slew of new researchers hired under the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative.

Funds provide research training and experiences for students, as well as pay the salaries for faculty and staff, who then pay taxes in Utah and purchase goods and services here as well.

"So every extra dollar in research funding brought in by U. faculty supports the research and education missions of the university and strengthens the Utah economy," Parks said.

Prior to 2006, research funds included a category known as fellowships and financial aid, which funded students and post-doctoral fellows engaged in research at the school. With those figures included, the university would have reported an additional $22 million in the research money this year.The top 25 institutions that pull in the most research dollars and invariably spend them as well are typically large, private institutions like Duke, MIT, Stanford and Johns Hopkins University, which hit $1.5 billion in research funding in 2006. To reach Carnegie Research 1 status, as the U. has, schools have to name research as a top priority and receive at least $40 million in federal support

e-mail: wleonard@desnews.com