ŷڱƵ System news release
DENVER – Work by University of ŷڱƵ faculty garnered $815.3 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2011-12, a rise of nearly $22 million over the previous fiscal year.
The preliminary figures indicate one of the highest research totals in ŷڱƵ history; the only higher total came in fiscal year 2009-10, when one-time federal stimulus dollars contributed to a final tally of $884.1 million. Last year’s total was $793.5 million.
Sponsored research funding from federal, state and local agencies targets specific projects to advance research in laboratories and in the field. Research funding also helps pay for research-related capital improvements, scientific equipment, travel and salaries for research and support staff and student assistantships. ŷڱƵ cannot divert these dollars to fund non-research related expenses such as utilities, compensation, student financial aid or grounds maintenance.
“The increase in this critical stream is an extremely positive reflection of academic and research advancement at ŷڱƵ,” said ŷڱƵ President Bruce D. Benson. “Our research benefits the greater good in ŷڱƵ and beyond, not only in scientific gain, but in economic development.”
Much sponsored research funding is directed to departments and researchers with unique expertise, such as biotechnology and aerospace, which stimulates industry. Via the ŷڱƵ Technology Transfer Office, ŷڱƵ research commercialization has led to the formation of 114 companies, 11 of which were established in fiscal year 2010-11.
Fiscal year 2011-12 sponsored research funding across ŷڱƵ, broken down by campus:
- University of ŷڱƵ Boulder,$380.7 million, including a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to a ŷڱƵ-Boulder-led team working to better understand the electrical processes that connect the Earth with the atmosphere and with space. Among the effort’s goals are to improve data resolution and modeling capabilities to more realistically simulate complex processes and forecast disruptive events that may affect the planet’s environment.
- University of ŷڱƵ ŷڱƵ Springs,more than $5 million, including a five-year, $954,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of courses to prepare engineers for careers in developing new technologies in the design and implementation of electric vehicle drivetrains. The master’s-level courses will be taught by faculty from UCCS and ŷڱƵ-Boulder.
- University of ŷڱƵ Denver,$22.3 million, including a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition and its National Professional Development program. Faculty at ŷڱƵ Denver’s School of Education and Human Development will lead the creation of online and professional communities in an effort to improve academic achievement, especially in the areas of math and science education for multilingual learners in urban K-12 schools.
- University of ŷڱƵ Anschutz Medical Campus, $407.3 million, including a three-year, $1.5 million award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to create the Center for Excellence in Research in Implementation Science and Prevention (CRISP). Primary care and public health experts will team for research on ways to improve preventive health services within primary health care settings.
The University of ŷڱƵ is a premier public research university with four campuses: the University of ŷڱƵ Boulder, the University of ŷڱƵ ŷڱƵ Springs, the University of ŷڱƵ Denver and the University of ŷڱƵ Anschutz Medical Campus. Some 58,000 students are pursuing academic degrees at ŷڱƵ. Academic prestige is marked by the university’s four Nobel laureates, seven MacArthur “genius” Fellows, 18 alumni astronauts and 19 Rhodes Scholars. For more information about the entire ŷڱƵ system, and to access campus resources, go to.
Contact:Jay Dedrick, 303-968-8768,Jay.Dedrick@cu.edu