UF Receives Record $475.2 Million In Research Grants In 2003-04

December 16, 2004

GAINESVILLE — The University of Florida received a record $469.8 million in research funding during fiscal year 2003-04, due in part to a $19.2 million increase in state funding.

The total is $11.7 million more than in fiscal year 2002-03.

Awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the university’s largest source of research funding, rose 8.4 percent, or $8.8 million, from $104.4 million in 2002-03 to $113.2 million in 2003-04. Most of the NIH funding goes to UF’s Health Science Center, which brought in $235.7 million last year.

Included in the state funding is a $10 million grant for UF’s Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology. UF was one of three university centers to receive $10 million awards under the 2002 Florida Technology Development Act.

“The success of the university’s health research program uniquely positioned us to pursue the Center of Excellence grant,” said Win Phillips, UF’s vice president for research. “The Center of Excellence program is a clear demonstration of Florida’s commitment to biomedical research as a means to diversify the state’s economy.”

UF gets about 61 percent of its funding from the federal government, a total of $285.6 million in 2003-04, down about 1.3 percent from the previous year.

Funding from the National Science Foundation increased 4.2 percent to $42.4 million in 2003-04. NSF funding supports research in basic sciences, such as physics, chemistry, engineering and social sciences, including sociology and psychology. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences benefits from much of the NSF funding, helping it bring in a record $46.9 million in 2003-04, up 6 percent over the previous year.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences received $72.2 million, a 10.6 percent increase, and the College of Engineering received $64.4 million, a 5.7 percent increase.

UF received $59.2 million from industry sponsors in 2003-04, an 8.7 percent increase, and $49.4 million from foundations, a 3.7 percent decrease over the previous year.