University of Colorado tallies $878.3 million in sponsored research funding
Annual federal, state, local grants rise for second consecutive year
University of Colorado faculty research merited $878.3 million in research awards during the 2014-15 fiscal year, based on preliminary figures, representing a near-record year for the four-campus system.
The total reflects an increase of 1.7 percent over the previous year’s $863.3 million. This year’s amount is topped by just one other in CU history, FY2010, when one-time federal stimulus dollars helped fuel research awards of $884.1 million.
Most sponsored research funding comes from federal agencies. Systemwide in 2014-15, CU earned $568.7 million in federal awards; $309.7 million in non-federal awards.
Three CU campuses saw overall research award increases this year. Final figures are expected later this summer.
Following are the totals in sponsored research funding at CU campuses:
University of Colorado Boulder: $425.6 million.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs: $10.3 million.
University of Colorado Denver: $22.2 million.
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus: $420.3 million.
Sponsored research funding from federal, state and local entities targets specific projects to advance research in laboratories and in the field. Research funding also helps pay for research-related capital improvements, scientific equipment, travel and salaries for research and support staff and student assistantships. CU cannot divert these dollars to fund non-research-related expenses such as utilities, compensation, student financial aid or grounds maintenance.
Much sponsored research funding is directed to departments and researchers with unique expertise, such as biotechnology and aerospace, which stimulates industry.
About the CU System
The University of Colorado is a premier public research university with four campuses: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. With more than 59,700 students (with another 8,000 taking courses for credit), over 4,900 full-time instructional faculty members and another 1,200 research faculty members, CU is the largest institution of higher education in the state of Colorado. Its total workforce is approximately 29,000. CU’s annual budget is $3.5 billion. The university’s Technology Transfer Office has helped launch more than 140 startups over the past 20 years. Academic prestige is marked by CU’s five Nobel laureates, nine MacArthur “genius” Fellows, 20 astronauts and 19 Rhodes Scholars. For more information about the entire CU system, and to access campus resources, go to www.cu.edu.
Contact: Jay Dedrick, 303-860-5707, Jay.Dedrick@cu.edu