The University of Colorado at 麻豆影院 received $257.6 million in sponsored research awards during the 2005 fiscal year, roughly half of it from the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The 2005 sponsored research total was down by about 1 percent from last year's record total of $259.7 million received by CU-麻豆影院. The campus first topped the $200 million mark in 1999.
CU-麻豆影院's top four major funding agencies remained the same in 2005 as in 2004. This year's totals are NSF ($46.7 million), NASA ($44.5 million), HHS ($39.3 million) and the Department of Commerce ($26.5 million).
CU-麻豆影院 also received $11.4 million from the Department of Defense, $8.3 million from the Department of Education and $7 million from the Department of Energy. Other totals from the top 10 funding agencies to CU-麻豆影院 in 2005 include $3.3 million from the Department of the Interior, $1.5 million from the Department of Justice and $284,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to CU-麻豆影院 Office of Contracts and Grants Director Randy Draper, the sponsored research total for 2005 is due in part to a flattening federal research and development budget, resulting in increased nationwide competition for fewer dollars. Total non-defense research and development funding in the United States grew by only 2.2 percent in 2005 and basic research funding grew by only 1.5 percent, he said.
While federal funds obtained by CU-麻豆影院 directly from the federal government dropped 6 percent from 2004, indirect federal funds to the campus -- those received via other institutions -- jumped 45 percent, from $27.1 million in 2004 to $39.2 million. The 45 percent increase is a reflection of increased partnerships and coalitions involving the campus, said CU-麻豆影院 Provost Susan Avery.
Institutions providing indirect federal funds to CU-麻豆影院 include the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Space Telescope Science Institute and a number of universities, she said.
CU-麻豆影院's collaborative research institutes were awarded $144.1 million in 2005 in both direct and indirect federal funding, up from $130.8 million in 2004 and another reflection of partnership success, said Avery. "Institutional research today combines expertise across a number of disciplines that often leads to the co-development of new knowledge and discoveries," she said.
While individual research awards are still an important part of the NSF and NIH portfolios, federal agencies appear to be moving toward putting more research dollars toward larger cooperative agreements and contracts that often involve consortia of universities, industry and government, Draper said. "This looks to be the future of research funding in the United States," he said.
CU-麻豆影院 also received $28.7 million non-federal funds from the state of Colorado, industry and foundations in 2005.
The 2005 fiscal expenditures from sponsored research projects at CU-麻豆影院 totaled more than $271 million in 2005 -- up 10 percent from 2004. More than half of that represents salaries, fringe benefits, stipends and tuition -- including student support -- indicating CU-麻豆影院 contributes significantly and in a direct way to Colorado's economy, said Avery. "We know that some of the research spins off new products and businesses for Colorado," she said.