MU research spending up to new high mark in 2005

In 2005, the amount of money MU spent on research rose to its highest level ever — nearly $180 million. This figure is 10 percent higher than the previous fiscal year. More than $140 million of the externally-generated funds came in the form of awards from federal sources such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Jim Coleman, the vice provost for research, said that the money isn’t given in one chunk, but is earmarked for faculty members who have had their research proposals accepted by external sponsors.

“Almost all of the funds are project-specific,” Coleman said.

Coleman said that the search for funding is competitive. Proposals sent to agencies like the National Science Foundation are typically reviewed by top people in the field, who examine the idea’s quality and whether the institution has adequate facilities to carry out the research.

According to a press release, MU is one of 15 U.S. schools that receive the most National Science Foundation funding for life-sciences research. As part of a public medical school, MU’s Department of Biochemistry ranks eighth in the country for research grant money.