Rutgers achieved an 18.3 percent increase in funding for research and sponsored programs in the last fiscal year.Photo courtesy of RutgersNEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Despite recent cutbacks in federal research support – the primary source of grants for most U.S. universities – Rutgers achieved an 18.3 percent increase in overall funding for research and sponsored programs in the last fiscal year over the previous year, from $517.6 million in fiscal year 2014 up to $612.5 million in fiscal year 2015.

Rutgers brought in 11.4 percent more federal research dollars from 2014 ($272.1 million) to 2015 ($303.2 million), while overall research funding by most federal agencies was essentially flat, or unchanged, from the prior year, according to Christopher J. Molloy, the university’s senior vice president for research and economic development.

A summary of the fiscal year 2015 data was released today by Rutgers’ Office of Research and Economic Development (additional data and two graphics are posted here). The university’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

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The positive news was released today during a public panel discussion to discuss the impact of Rutgers’ 2013 integration with most of the schools, centers, institutes and clinical practices of the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The event was organized by Stephen M. Sweeney, president of the New Jersey State Senate. 

“The fact that Rutgers is bringing in more outside dollars for its research despite the tough times for research funding nationally speaks to the quality of the university’s programs,” said Senate President Sweeney. “The residents of New Jersey benefit directly and indirectly from Rutgers research, including the significant impact on our state’s economy and business climate.”     

“These funding numbers are a true accomplishment for Rutgers, particularly in light of the challenging environment for research funding,” Molloy said. “It is the rigorous and creative efforts of faculty – supported by dedicated staff and graduate students – that produced these very positive results. Research is a key component of Rutgers’ academic programs and a significant factor in the economic development of our state and the region, so these gains are noteworthy.”

A high priority for Rutgers is expanding its collaborations and partnerships with industry, and Molloy pointed out that the university’s research support from corporations went up by more than 30 percent last year over the previous year (from $23.8 million to $31.0 million).

State funding to Rutgers for research and sponsored programs increased by nearly 37 percent from 2014 ($130.0 million) to 2015 ($177.8 million). And Rutgers’ research funding from foundations increased by about 9 percent, from 2014 ($91.5 million) to 2015 ($99.8 million).

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is Rutgers’ greatest source of research grants. NIH funding to the university rose just over 3 percent last year, from $134.2 million in 2014 to $138.7 million in 2015. Rutgers’ grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) increased by more than 21 percent last year, from $45.8 million in 2014 up to $55.5 million in 2015.

Among the major NSF grants to Rutgers University-New Brunswick last year were a nearly $2.8 million award to the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, a grant of about $2.7 million to the Engineering Center for Structured Organic Composites for work on continuous manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry, a nearly $1.1 million award to the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and an approximately $1 million grant to the National Institute for Early Education Research. The NSF also awarded two grants totaling $1.4 million for the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation initiative at Rutgers University-Newark.  

Research grants and sponsored programs at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) last year rose by more than 24 percent, the increase at Rutgers University-New Brunswick was almost 15 percent, the total for Rutgers University-Camden was up by about 12 percent, and the amount at Rutgers University-Newark grew by about 6 percent.