Research funding at Ohio University continues to increase, with a record $29.4 million in external funds in 2005 and a rise in research proposals from faculty, staff and students.
In addition to receiving funds for research, OU also received $27.5 million in external funds for sponsored programs such as literacy and community outreach programs, bringing the total amount of external funding to $57 million in 2005.
Since 1997, OU's external funding for research and sponsored programs has increased by more than $20 million, according to the Web site http://news.research.ohiou.edu.
Increasing research on campus has been a focus of OU President Roderick McDavis' administration and of Vision OHIO, the university's strategic plan for the future.
The president (McDavis) has specifically mentioned he wants to see this number go up significantly
so ... I think that people are responding to the call for greater activity in research said Andrea Gibson, director of research communication.
There were 926 grant proposals submitted in 2005, almost 100 more than the year before, according to the Web site.
As the number of research proposals increase, university officials expect to see the amount of external funding continues to rise, Gibson said.
The first step is the number of grant proposals going up and then in subsequent years
we'll see the returns on that
she said.
The College of Arts and Sciences brought in the most external funding in 2005, receiving $16.2 million, particularly in the physics and astronomy, psychology and biological sciences departments. The Russ College of Engineering and Technology brought in the second-highest level of external funding, $15 million, and increased its funding more than $3 million since 2004.
External funding for research and sponsored programs comes from a variety of sources from the public and private sources.
Federal funds, such as grants from agencies like the National Science Foundation, provided $33 million in funding, and state and local agencies gave an additional $11.6 million. Private funding from businesses or foundations accounted for the final $12.4 million.
In addition to external funds such as grants, research initiatives at OU also can receive university funding. The majority of OU research funds are distributed through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, though there is also money available through various colleges and departments, said Jack Bantle, vice president for research at OU.
There are research opportunities out there
and now the faculty are finding them
he said.
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