SAN DIEGO STATE ATTRACTS MORE THAN $130 MILLION IN RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR 2005-2006

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Lorena Nava
SDSU Marketing & Communications
Tel: (619) 594-3952 office, (619) 309-5179 cell
lnava@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006) – San Diego State University attracted $130.3 million in externally funded research grants and contracts for 2005-2006, including a record $26 million from the National Institutes of Health, the university announced today.

"This represents an exceptional level of success for our faculty, competing in a research environment made more difficult by priorities set by the federal government," said SDSU Vice President of Research Tom Scott.

During the 2005-2006 fiscal year, more than 400 SDSU faculty members applied for research funding in areas including business, health and human services, sciences, engineering and education, among others. This year’s total of grants and contracts is the second highest in the university’s history. Since 2000, SDSU has received $882 million in research grants and contracts.

"It is especially gratifying to see so many new faculty members successfully engaging in research programs," said SDSU Research Foundation CEO Frea Sladek. "Faculty hired within the past five years represented 28 percent of proposals submitted and 13 percent of the awards. Attracting research-active faculty bodes well for the future growth of our research program."

NIH funding, totaling $17.9 million in 2004-2005, increased by 45 percent. Other grants received this past fiscal year came from national organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, as well as from state and local governments, corporations and private foundations.

SDSU research grants fund experiments in specific areas of study, research fellowships for graduate and post-doctoral students, public health studies, and arts and cultural programs, among others. Research programs at SDSU not only involve university faculty and staff, but also offer students, including undergraduates, graduates and post-doctoral students, with the opportunity to work in active research settings.

The amount of grant funding received this past year is the latest example of the university’s growing research capabilities. Other research highlights from the past year include:

• The Carnegie Foundation, an independent policy and research center focusing on higher education, reclassified SDSU as a "research university" with high research activity, placing it among the top 200 universities for conducting research nationwide.

• SDSU became a member of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities, a national consortium that promotes science and technology research and education.

• In June, the SDSU Heart Institute announced a $9.5 million program project grant from the National Institutes of Health to study new ways to fight heart attacks.

• In March, SDSU opened its BioScience Center, a new research facility dedicated to investigating the link between infectious disease and heart disease.

• A review team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an accreditation body for higher education institutions, recognized SDSU as a national leader in involving undergraduate students in faculty research programs during SDSU’s last review period.

SDSU is the oldest and largest institution of higher education in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 and doctorates in 16. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct faculty contact and an increasingly international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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