Total research expenditures at the University of Kansas for fiscal year
2002 set a school record and inched closer to the $250 million mark, officials
recently announced. The $243 million in KU's total research expenditures during
fiscal year 2002 is an increase of 8.4 percent from the previous record of $224
million, set in fiscal year 2001. The 2002 total marks the sixth consecutive
year that research expenditures have increased at KU.
A leading contributor to this increase in research funding, the School of
Pharmacy at the University of Kansas, continues to rank among the nation's elite
programs in terms of securing funding from the National Institutes of Health,
according to a recent analysis of data. KU's pharmacy school ranked third among
all 85 schools and colleges of pharmacy across the nation that received NIH
funding during fiscal year 2002 in a recent survey released by the American
Association of Colleges of Pharmacv.
KU's pharmacy school received slightly more than $10 million in NIH
awards during fiscal year 2002, which began July 1, 2001, and ended June 30,
2002. Only the University of California-San Francisco, which led all schools,
and the University of Arizona ranked higher than KU.
"Research efforts at the University of Kansas are stronger than
ever, despite difficult economic times,"said Chancellor Robert Hemenway.
"This continued success speaks highly of the caliber of research conducted
here that benefits both the Kansas economy and our quality of life." In
terms of economic benefit to the state, a U.S. Department of Commerce formula
calculates that every $1 million in university research funding adds slightly
more than 42 new jobs to the state of Kansas. Using that formula, KU's total of
$243 million translated into about 10,250 jobs throughout the state. Two recent
studies provide further evidence that funding for university research goes hand
in hand with state economic success: • A November 2002 study by the National
Science
Foundation
found that eight of the top 10 states in university research and development
expenditures also were among the top 10 states in total R&D expenditures.
Kansas was not among the study's top 10 states in either area. • An October
2002 report from the Small Business Administration found that new companies
form around university research centers in large part because of the
information spillover that is crucial in knowledge-based industries.
In KU's case, research efforts started at the university so far have
resulted in the formation of 23 start-up companies in the state, according to
officials in KU's Technology Transfer office. (Information provided by KU
University Relations.) •