UofSC has record-setting year for sponsored research

Posted on: 8/21/2015; Updated on: 8/21/2015
By Jeff Stensland, 803-777-3686

From finding efficient new sources of energy to uncovering novel ways to combat diseases, the University of South Carolina is on the vanguard of research that improves the lives of people in South Carolina and beyond. Spurred by breakthrough research in medicine, energy and law, the university set a record for sponsored award funding during the 2015 fiscal year.

In total, university faculty garnered $242.8 million in sponsored awards; a 5.5 percent increase over last year’s funding. The largest 2015 sponsored awards support a wide variety of important initiatives, including:

$18.4 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue the South Carolina IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program, which develops programs in areas such as regenerative medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology at 10 colleges and universities around the state.
$8.3 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Center for the study of inflammation at the School of Medicine — one of only 11 centers of its kind in the United States.
$5.5 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to manage a competitive grants program that supports research aimed at understanding the drivers of food choice in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
$4.7 million from the U.S. Department of State to fund the Justice Sector Training, Research and Coordination Program (JusTRAC). The UofSC Rule of Law Collaborative program supports individuals who work in international justice programs by providing training to, and coordinating collaboration among a vital worldwide network of rule of law practitioners.
$4 million from the Department of Energy to validate current procedures for storing used nuclear fuel and investigate advanced methods for handling and storing used fuel.

“USC’s faculty set two sponsored award records in the past year because of their hard work, excellence and willingness to go the distance by collaborating, innovating and working to achieve more than ever,” said university President Harris Pastides. “That they were able to make these strides in such a competitive funding climate makes their accomplishments all the more impressive. Their success is an inspiration to me, to our students and to the entire Gamecock community.”

The university is South Carolina's only Carnegie tier-one research institution of very high research activity. A deeper look at the 2015 research funding figures reveal:

Federal awards — the most competitive type of funding available — topped the FY2014 record by 4.5 percent, garnering a total of $156.8 million for FY2015, another record for the Palmetto State’s flagship university.
Top federal award sponsors in 2015 include the National Institutes of Health at $46.6 million, the Department of Health and Human Services at $43.2 million and the National Science Foundation at $12.4 million.
Notably, funding from the U.S. Department of Energy increased by more than 50 percent to $14.9 million in 2015 compared with the previous year.

Vice President for Research Prakash Nagarkatti also praised the faculty for their efforts to secure external grant funding.

“The faculty members at USC have once again overcome today’s extremely difficult funding climate to not only succeed, but excel, growing sponsored awards 5.5 percent to achieve the highest sponsored award funding level our university has ever received in a single year,” he said. “Despite the many challenges involved in competing for awards, USC faculty members have set not just one, but two funding records in 2015, obtaining the highest-ever total awards, and the highest level of federal awards in USC’s history. It is my pleasure to commend USC’s faculty on this outstanding achievement.”

Learn more

To learn more about research at UofSC, visit the Office of Research website.

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