Research funding reaches record high
USU research teams brought in $42 million more in the 2010 fiscal year than the previous year, which made it a banner year with record awards totaling $187 million.
Researchers in all departments were hungry for funding and submitted thousands of research proposals throughout the course of the year, said vice president for research Brent Miller. He said investing in faculty members who are skilled in developing thorough and professional proposals was a key factor in receiving funding. USU research created an office for proposal development two years ago in hopes of creating a greater probability that proposals are accepted.
The 29 percent increase in research funding is also due in part to the stimulus year in conjunction with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which yielded $12 million. Miller said 70 percent of the research money is from the federal government. By receiving this money, USU research has been able to produce many job openings, which, in turn, has been a factor in fueling Cache Valley’s economy.
“In doing all of this research there are discoveries and inventions that are found and can create new business,” Miller said. “The research generates jobs directly, but it also generates a base for new jobs, which allows for economic activity.”
Grant funding not only allows for more faculty and professional researching positions. Jeff Broadbent, associate vice president for research, said research funds invite opportunity for more graduate research assistants and undergraduate research positions. None of this would be possible, though, if concise proposals were not formulated, he said.
“Hundreds of proposals are written at a time,” Broadbent said. “There are constantly proposals being looked over. It’s a never-ending process.”
In Utah, there are two research universities: University of Utah and Utah State University. Though the University of Utah has a greater student population and offers medical school, USU has many of its own strengths, Miller said. Mostly, the University of Utah’s prolific research is done in medicine, while USU is excelling in its agriculture and education departments. Miller said a large bite of the $187 million in funding was achieved through the Space Dynamics Lab, which collected $62 million.
“Research funding is a pot of money that everyone in the country is after,” Broadbent said. “One in ten proposals or fewer will actually be funded. That’s why it’s important we invest in the proposals – to get better results.”
Miller said USU’s research ventures are unique because a very high proportion of the researchers are students both graduate and undergraduate. Cari Markham, a graduate student in human resources and science, is currently involved in a research project conducted by the business school that requires her to think critically about companies that were pioneered by entrepreneurs and became public businesses, and how they became big. Markham said because of her research experience, she has decided to get her Ph.D. after she completes her Master’s program.
“For the business school, I think there is a lot of development in making companies and employees better through research,” Markham said. “And for me, personally, as a student, it has given me the opportunity to dive into things outside of my nature. This research does give me the sense of how businesses are working and what they can do better.”
In any type of research there are discoveries and inventions found that can create new businesses and advancements, Miller said. This is why it is crucial that proposals are sent out as often as possible in order to increase chances of funding, he said. Students are involved in the proposal writing process and and collaborate with professors and researchers so that they can one day be prepared to take initiative and fund their own research project ideas.
“Many of the students and faculty come here because they like to be involved in discovery,” Broadbent said. “If you want to pursue your dreams you have to get outside dollars to do it.”
– catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu