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National Institutes of Health funding for research at the University jumped
more than 20 percent in fiscal 2000, according to new figures just released by
the federal agency.
University faculty received $207 million in NIH funding -- up from $171.3
million in 1999 -- ranking 13th overall among private and public universities
nationwide, and up from 14th last year. Johns Hopkins University topped the
list at $419.3 million. Carolina is the top public university in the South and
one of only five Southern universities, public or private, cited in the NIH's
top 20.
The NIH, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal
biomedical research arm of the federal government. NIH research institutes are
fighting diseases including AIDS, alcoholism, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and
stroke, as well as tackling health topics related to aging, women and children,
drug abuse, the environment and rapidly emerging multidisciplinary fields such
as genomics and proteomics.
The School of Medicine received $144.2 million, ranking 15th nationwide.
Jeffrey Houpt, dean of the medical school, said the almost $13 million increase
in medical school funding from fiscal 1999 to 2000 would have strong
implications for the University's new genome sciences initiative.
Chancellor James Moeser recently announced a public-private investment in a
campus-wide genome sciences initiative representing at least $245 million over
the next decade. Grants to the School of Medicine from sources including the
NIH accounted for more than $10 million of that total.
Houpt said he had seen what a difference the NIH's 1999 selection of Carolina
as one of two Regional Mutant Mouse Resource Centers in the nation made in
genetics and genomics research. The new center, supported by a $5 million NIH
grant, helps characterize, maintain and distribute an ever-growing array of
mutant mouse models to the research community.
"This strong NIH funding gives the University crucial resources to further
elevate research efforts and provides further validation that we are poised to
become a national leader in genomics-related research," he said. "The
discoveries in genomics made in Chapel Hill will ultimately benefit the people
of North Carolina and the world, who will live better lives because of our
faculty's dedication."
Carolina's $207 million NIH funding total included 484 research grants worth
$176.4 million, 43 training grants totaling $10.5 million, 30 fellowships worth
close to $1 million, 14 research and development contracts valued at $17.2
million and six other awards worth $2 million.
All five of Carolina's health affairs schools -- dentistry, medicine, nursing,
pharmacy and public health -- ranked within the top 25 of public and private
institutions, according to the NIH. Three University schools were listed at
fifth or higher. Following are the NIH totals for all five schools:
* The School of Dentistry received $8.4 million, third nationwide.
* The School of Nursing received $5.3 million, third nationwide.
* The School of Public Health received $28.8 million -- more than doubling the
1999 total of $13.2 million -- fifth nationwide.
* The School of Medicine received $144.2 million, 15th nationwide.
* The School of Pharmacy received $1.5 million, 24th nationwide.
Linda Dykstra, interim vice provost for graduate studies and research, said the
close to $36 million increase in overall NIH research funding had strong
implications for the future of faculty research at Carolina.
Fiscal 2000 overall research funding at Carolina topped the $375 million mark
for contracts and grants awarded for research, teaching and public service --
an increase of nine percent over the previous fiscal year. The components
making up that total are the following: $316 million for research, $15 million
for training, $41 million for public service and
$4 million for operations.
In academic affairs, several units registered significant gains in overall
research funding. Examples include Kenan-Flagler Business School, whose funding
increased from $2.1 million to $4.6 million, and the School of Social Work,
whose funding increased from $7.6 million to $11.6 million. The School of
Information and Library Science saw its research funding increase from $0.1
million to $1.1 million.
"Our faculty members are to be commended for their hard work and innovation,
beautifully articulated through their research efforts," she said. "Our
wonderful research funding numbers point to the professional and academic
strengths of our faculty and ensure that we will further strengthen our
national leadership within the world's promising research areas."
Dykstra added that University faculty further establish their leadership
through their affiliation with prestigious national academies, including: eight
members of the National Academy of Science, five members of the National
Academy of Engineering, 20 members of the Institute of Medicine and 16 members
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Last fall's passage of the $3.1 billion bond referendum for higher education
will significantly improve space in which faculty conduct their research,
through repair and renovation projects, as well as construction of new
buildings, Dykstra said.
Top 20 in NIH funding
1. Johns Hopkins University $419,345,194
2. University of Pennsylvania $321,297,967
3. University of Washington $302,484,712
4. University of California-San Francisco $295,280,560
5. Washington University $279,478,547
6. University of Michigan $260,353,494
7. Harvard University $250,439,680
8. University of California -Los Angeles $243,565,013
9. Yale University $242,793,599
10. Columbia University $226,683,943
11. University of Pittsburgh $224,340,779
12. Stanford University $211,927,907
13. CAROLINA $207,047,934
14. Duke University $197,153,389
15. University of California -San Diego $190,542,135
16. Case Western Reserve University $171,567,477
17. University of Minnesota $170,278,387
18. Baylor College of Medicine $169,294,366
19. University of Wisconsin-Madison $165,349,371
20. University of Alabama-Birmingham $162,112,885
Other Carolina research highlights:
A record $375 million in external funding
* Fiscal 2000 funding at Carolina topped the $375 million mark for
contracts and grants awarded for research, teaching, and public service. The
total includes $316 million for public service and $4 million for operations.
High levels of external funding reflect Carolina's strength, not only in the
sciences, but also in areas such as law, education, humanities, business, fine
arts and journalism.
* Carolina ranked ninth nationwide in federal funding for fellowships,
traineeships, and training grants, providing clear evidence of the overall
strength of its numerous graduate and postdoctoral programs.
Among the top four public research universities
* A recent report (Lombardi, et al., 2000) about the top American
research universities cited Carolina as one of only four public universities
that met all the criteria the authors used to evaluate the quality of research
institutions. The other three universities were the University of
California-Berkeley, the University of California-Los Angeles and the
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Faculty distinction
* Carolina ranks 11th among public research institutions in terms of
number of members in the National Academies, including the National Academy of
Science (8), the National Academy of Engineering (5) and the Institute of
Medicine (20). In addition, Carolina counts 16 of its faculty among the members
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
* Carolina ranks 12th nationally among public research institutions in terms of
the number of prestigious awards that their faculty members have received in
the arts, humanities, science and health.
* Recently, two Carolina faculty members received prestigious New Investigator
Awards from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund - two of only 10 nationally.
For more information about research at Carolina, go to:
http://research.unc.edu/
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