o f f i c e o f f r resear 2 o research l t a r 0c u 09 n po n e a r

Transcription

1 u n i v er s i t y o f office f l o r i d a of report a n n ua l 2009 research

2 o f f i c e o f r e s e a r c h The fiscal year was a testament to the commitment and creativity of University of Florida faculty, who earned $574 million in research awards despite some of the most challenging economic conditions since the Great Depression. Our researchers brought in these contracts and grants during a period when headlines talked of hiring freezes Dr. Win Phillips, Vice President for Research and budget cuts. In addition to furthering science, this funding impacts all facets of Florida s economy, benefiting everyone from construction workers to graduate students. According to economic impact methodology from the U.S. Department of Commerce, UF research funding generates more than $1.2 billion in business activity and 10,500 jobs. I believe there are several key reasons why our faculty have been successful despite the economic downturn. One is that UF faculty are increasingly competitive with their national and international peers. Federal awards, which account for 59 percent of UF s total, rose 4.3 percent last year, led by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. In addition, collaborations with respected organizations like Scripps Florida, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the Moffitt Cancer Center help us to better leverage our respective scientific expertise. And we have emphasized break-the-mold multidisciplinary efforts, such as the Emerging Pathogens Institute, the Florida Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Water Institute. Finally, we are developing a mix of basic and applied research, as reflected in the growth of our technology transfer and commercialization efforts. Last year, UF spinoffs cracked the $100 million mark in venture capital investment for the first time. Together, our faculty s excellence and our growth as a research institution seem to have reached a critical mass. This is clear not only from dollars going into research, but also the results. UF-authored papers now appear regularly in such prominent journals as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Clearly, our faculty have faced the recent economic challenges with the same professionalism that has helped to make UF a leading national research institution. As the economy improves, we look forward to even more successes.

3 scientific w o r k f o r c e Ne a r ly 2,000 UF r e s e a r c h e r s a r e c u r r e n t ly c o n d u c t i n g m o r e t h a n 6,900 p r o j e c t s, e m p l o y i n g t h o u s a n d s m o r e t e c h n i c i a n s a n d s t u d e n t s t o a s s i s t t h e m. Fr o m m i c r o b i o l o g i s t s w h o p i p e t t e DNA s a m p l e s t o f a b r i c a t o r s w h o c r e a t e s p e c i a l i z e d pa r t s f o r n e w m a c h i n e s, UF s s c i e n t i f i c w o r k f o r c e is t h e e n g i n e d r i v i n g t h e u n i v e r s i t y s $574 million research enterprise.

4 scientific infrastructure F unding for construction of stateof- the-art UF research buildings from federal, state and private sources has a significant impact on the state and local economy. Heavy equipment operators and stone masons, plumbers and electricians from a large geographical region contribute to the construction of these facilities. A nd the money they make is passed down through their local economies at gas stations and grocery stores, many more ensuring F loridians. jobs for

5 t r a n s f e r r i n g t e c h n o l o g y Of t e n, t h e r e s u l t s o f o u r r e s e a r c h h a v e c o m m e r c i a l p o t e n t i a l. UF h a s o n e o f t h e n a t i o n s m o s t a g g r e s s i v e a n d s u c c e s s f u l t e c h n o l o g y l i c e n s i n g e f f o r t s, w h i c h h a s ge n e r at e d m o r e t h a n 100 n e w c o m p a n i e s o v e r t h e l a s t 10 y e a r s. Th e Of f i c e o f Te c h n o l o g y Li c e n s i n g w o r k s c l o s e ly w i t h o u r r e s e a r c h e r s t o p r o t e c t t h e i r i n t e l l e c t ua l p r o p e r t y a n d t o m o v e p r o m i s i n g t e c h n o l o g i e s i n t o t h e m a r k e t p l a c e. By pa i r i n g s ci e n t i s t s w i t h e x p e r i e nce d b u s i n e s s p e o p l e, th e u n i v e r s i t y i n c r e a s e s t h e c h a n c e s f o r a c o m m e r c i a l s u c c e s s. Th e u n i v e r s i t y u s e s t h e r e v e n u e f r o m t hose succe s se s t o s u p p o r t n e w r e s e a r c h, completing the circle.

6 Ul t i m a t e ly, t h e s u c c e s s o f UF s r e s e a r c h e f f o r t s c a n t b e m e a s u r e d in d o l l a r s a l o n e, b u t b y t h e i m p r o v e m e n t s t o h u m a n q u a l i t y o f l i f e t h a t r e s u l t s f r o m o u r d i s c o v e r i e s. Fr o m a c u r e f o r a c o m m o n f o r m o f b l i n d n e s s t o a b e t t e r u n d e r s ta n d i n g o f a p o t e n t i a l ly c a t a s t r o p h i c c i t r u s d i s e a s e, UF r e s e a r c h is f i r st a n d f o r e m o s t a b o u t s o l v i n g p r o b l e m s a n d e x pa n d i n g t h e bou n da r i e s o f s c i e n c e. An d a s t h e f i r st i m a g e s f r o m t h e Gr a n Te l e s c o p i o Ca n a r i a s t h a t w e h e l p e d b u i l d r e v e a l, s o m e t i m e s it s s i m p l y a b o u t gaining a b e t t e r u n d e r s ta n d i n g o f w h o w e a r e a n d w h e r e w e c a m e f r o m. n e w di s cov e r i e s

7 summary of Sponsored Rese a rch 2009 c t i v i t y Proposals Submitted 5,887 Awards Received 6,237 New Awards Received 2,595 Continuations or Supplementals 3,642 Grant and Contract Dollars Awarded $544,890,302 Gifts for Research $29,141,392 Total Sponsored Research Funding $574,031,694 Projects Active During the Fiscal Year 6,974 Faculty Receiving Awards 1,898 Sponsors 1,007 $600 $500 Non-Federal Federal $470M $458M $437M $494M $519M $583M $562M $574M Sponsored Rese a rch MILLIONS $400 $380M $339M $ w a r d s $200 $ FISCAL YEAR $60 $50 $48M $52M $50.4M Technology Tr a n s f er MILLIONS $40 $30 $26M $29M $32M $35M $37M $40M $43M in c o m e $20 $ FISCAL YEAR

8 Health Science Center $289M Medicine $235M Public Health $17M Dentistry $16M Veterinary Medicine $11M Pharmacy $9M Nursing $1M All Other Academic Units Total $44M Education $8M Academic Affairs $7M Health & Human Performance $6M Research & Graduate Programs $5M Design, Construction & Planning $4M Business Administration $4M Florida Museum of Natural History $3M Centers & Institutes $3M Journalism & Communications $2M Other $2M State/Local $86M Industry $53M Foundations $69M 12% NIH $132M NSF $46M USDA $35M DOD $32M HHS $23M Education $14M 9% 15% 5% Federal $336M VA $11M Energy $8M HRSA $6M NASA $6M Commerce $6M 50% Research Awards by 59% 8% 2009 Other $5M Interior $3M DOT $3M EPA $3M USAID $3M 21% 8% Other $30M 13% College of Liberal Arts & Sciences $48M cademic Unit Research Awards by sp o n s o r 2009 IFAS $120M College of Engineering $73M Research

9 P.O. Box Gainesville, FL Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Gainesville, FL Permit No. 94 office of research Winfred M. Phillips, D.Sc Vice President for Research 223 Grinter Hall P.O. Box Gainesville, Florida (352) Division of Sponsored Research Thomas Walsh, Ph.D. Director (352) Proposal Processing (352) Awards Administration (352) Research Support Sobha Jaishankar, Ph.D. Asst. Vice President for Research (352) UF Research Foundation, Inc. Frank Ward Business Manager (352) Office of Technology Licensing David Day Director (352) Office of Research Communications Joseph Kays Director (352) research.ufl.edu