UofSC’s 2014 research awards top $230 million
Posted on: 8/20/2014; Updated on: 2/10/2015Research funding and sponsored awards at the University of South Carolina have been trending upward consistently for more than a decade. The trend continued in fiscal year 2014, with the university bringing in $230.2 million in research awards — a 4.5 percent increase over the previous year.
Carolina's Vice President for Research Prakash Nagarkatti credits the success to the hard work of research faculty in pursuing some of the most competitive and prestigious sponsored awards available. "Federal grants are the most competitive type of funding available, and it's exciting to note that this year's federal grants topped $150 million, a record for USC," Nagarkatti said.
The university also set records for funding from specific federal funding agencies, including $43 million from the National Institutes of Health, $48.4 from the Department of Health and Human Services and $19.9 million from the National Science Foundation. "This clearly shows how our faculty is successfully competing even when the federal funding for research has declined in recent years," Nagarkatti said.
This year's notable awards include:
• $11.2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a center
for targeted therapeutics that will develop new drugs to target the underlying causes
of diseases;
• $5.4 million from the NIH to support and sustain the efforts of the Center for Colon Cancer Research in development and implementation of novel strategies for the prevention, diagnosis
and treatment of colorectal cancer;
• $4.3 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study and develop
strategies to mitigate rural community health problems by providing better access
to chronic disease education and prevention;
• $3.4 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the efficacy,
satisfaction and cost savings of using online-delivered intervention families to reduce
children's social, emotional and behavioral problems;
• $3 million from the National Science Foundation to establish the Integrative Graduate
Education and Research Traineeship program to help recruit and train the very best
Ph.D. students in the engineering of nanomaterials for use in sustainable energy.
Noting these and other significant 2014 awards, university President Harris Pastides said, "Our faculty's efforts have increased total research funding by 4.5 percent in the midst of an extremely competitive funding environment, which is a testament to their hard work, dedication and ongoing innovation. I look forward to seeing what new exciting accomplishments are in store for Carolina's vital research community in the months and years to come."
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