University of Florida research spending reached a record $801.4 million in the fiscal year 2017, according to a new report to the National Science Foundation.
UF’s response to NSF’s Higher Education Research and Development, or HERD, Survey showed a $10.1 million increase, or 1.3 percent, in total expenditures over 2016’s total of $791.3 million.
Research spending is fueled primarily by individual grants and contracts that are secured by UF faculty in a very competitive funding landscape. This increase reflects progress in the university’s efforts to enhance its impact and reputation.
Expenditures on projects supported with federal agency funding increased $20 million, or 6.6 percent, to $327.3 million while state projects increased $7.3 million, or 5.4 percent, to $142.5 million. Funding from non-profit organizations and foundations rose 15 percent to $42.3 million.
Life sciences research, including health and agricultural research, accounted for $589.8 million, or about 74 percent of the total. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health, is UF’s largest funding agency.
Engineering accounted for $97.8 million, while physical sciences – like astronomy, chemistry, and physics – accounted for $28 million.
“UF’s research enterprise has been on a steady upward trend for many years,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “Surpassing this milestone of $800 million in research expenditures is a testament to the thousands of faculty members who are helping to change the world with their science, and to the staff who guide these projects from proposal to completion.”
NSF collects expenditure data from universities around the country and compiles it into a report that will be released later this year. Last year, based on the fiscal year 2016 data, UF ranked 24thamong all universities and 14th among public universities in research expenditures.
Among the largest projects underway in 2017 were a U.S. Department of Agriculture project to refine an inedible seed called Brassica carinata into a renewable jet fuel; a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project to keep Zika and other vector-borne diseases from gaining a foothold in the United States; and a U.S. Department of Defense project to study a type of heart disease that primarily affects women.
--Zana Dupee is a Sponsored Programs Contracting Officer for the industry. foreign, and Federal Contracts for sponsored research at the University of Florida. Mrs. Dupee is a contact for sponsor or PIs who need someone to advise them on the process of putting a contract in place for their sponsored research at UF. If you are interested in doing sponsored research at UF and need assistance with understanding the process to put the required paperwork in place, call Zana at (352) 294-3314 or send her an email at zhdupee at ufl.edu. She will be able to point you in the right direction.