TAMPA, Fla. (August 19, 2004) – The University of South Florida had its eighth consecutive record-breaking year in 2003-04 for the amount of research contracts and grants, one of the key benchmarks for research universities nationwide, USF President Judy Genshaft announced today.

USF researchers brought in $290 million in research during the year. The total is 14 percent more than last year and 40 percent more than the 2002-funding total. This year's number is $45 million more than the $245 million goal called for in USF's strategic plan. Grants and contracts from federal sources totaled $126.8 million, with $24 million for special projects from Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young.

"Our faculty's research is poising USF to be in the top 50 of public research universities in five years," Genshaft said. "They had a phenomenal year in aggressively pursuing national-caliber research grants."

Once again, the Health Sciences Center brought in the largest amount of grants with $145.4 million. The College of Medicine secured $116.6 million and the College of Public Health brought in $25.19 million. The College of Nursing received $2.67 million.

Also among the colleges that received the largest grants were those that support USF's emphasis on bioengineering and life sciences. The colleges of Marine Science and Engineering received $23.9 and $22 million, respectively. The College of Arts and Sciences brought in $18.6 million.

Much of the research is related to biodefense, in large part due to the federal support of Congressman Young's office. Larry Langebrake, director of Marine Sciences' Center for Ocean Technology, was USF's largest recipient with $8.8 million mostly from U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Additionally, Jacqueline Cattani, director of USF's Center for Biological Defense, brought in $5 million from the Department of the Army. Three of the top five researchers are from FMHI and include Glen Dunlap, John Mullins and Michael Knox.

"It is the ingenuity of the USF faculty, their students and their technical support staff who turn ideas into research," said USF Vice President for Research Ian Phillips. "The proposals become the promises that attract and receive grant awards."

Also among the top grant-earning units last year were the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute with $28.6 million – up 19 percent from the previous year – and the College of Business Administration with $2 million – 49 percent higher than the year before.

The USF regional campuses saw a steady growth in research funding with a 131 percent increase in Lakeland and a 37 percent increase on the St. Petersburg.

The total amount of research contracts and grants has risen steadily during the last decade. In 1993-94, USF brought in just $80.2 million. Genshaft gives the credit for this year's growth to the members of USF faculty, as well as the leadership of Phillips. There is optimism that with the arrival of the new vice president for Health Sciences and dean for the College of Medicine, Stephen Klasko, there will be a new era of increased NIH grants at USF, Phillips said.

The amount of external contracts and grants is most commonly used as a benchmark for science, medicine and technology fields. In fields where research is not laboratory-based, including the arts and humanities, common benchmarks include peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals, invited presentations at academic conferences, honors and awards from peer organizations and leadership positions in national associations.

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