Sponsored funding rises 13 percent to $115 million

by Scott J. Turner

Brown has a good foundation to build upon in its quest to expand the volume of sponsored funding on campus.

For the fifth year in a row, external funding rose significantly. When the books closed last June 30, grants awarded to campus faculty had topped $115 million, up 13 percent over the previous fiscal year and $49 million more than the $66 million in external funding received in fiscal year 1997-98. The majority of outside grants to Brown support research in the sciences, social sciences, and medicine.

“It is great that we continue to grow like this, particularly in terms of Sept. 11 and a weakening economy,” said Norman J. Hebert, director of the Office of Research Administration (ORA). Among its services, ORA tracks award and proposal data.

During fiscal year 2001-02, sponsored support increased from several key sources. For example, National Science Foundation (NSF) funding rose about 19 percent to $16.8 million. Support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) rose almost 18 percent to $43 million.

Although most NSF funds went to faculty members in the physical sciences, as it does every year, NSF support to individuals in biology, cognitive and linguistic sciences and the medical sciences grew substantially.

Elsewhere across campus, faculty, students and staff garnered $573,893 from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities during the 2001-02 fiscal year. That represented a nearly fivefold increase over the $115,000 received the previous fiscal year.

All told, sponsored funding for individuals in the humanities at Brown surpassed $2.4 million. In the previous fiscal year, that funding totaled $217,528.

And while support from nonprofit foundations and agencies rose 73 percent to almost $15 million, funding from corporate and industrial sources fell 62 percent to $2.3 million.

“A dip in industrial sponsorship doesn’t surprise me much, given the economy,” Hebert said.

Funding seems to beget funding. A portion of the $2 million received by the Population Studies and Training Center was a result of demonstrated excellence in regard to the faculty's research record, said Mark Pitt, center director and professor of economics. The center received a $400,000 grant from the NIH in part because of its record of securing awards, he said. The grant supports a demography library, speakers and conference planning, grants administration, seed money, software and hardware.

“We have been on an upward trajectory for some time so it is not a surprise,” said Pitt. "But the pressure is on to keep the flow coming.”

Although relatively small, Brown is competitive for sponsored funding, said Thomas Wunderlich, associate dean of research, a theme echoed by others on campus.

“The numbers suggest that Brown faculty members are competing well for the increased investments that the federal government has made in recent years in university-based research,” said Marisa Quinn, directory of community and government relations. “To continue this trend will require illustrating to the Congress and the president that these investments have untold benefits for the nation, and for Brown to have the resources – the people, the infrastructure and the equipment – to remain competitive.”

Brown has strengths in multiple disciplines, said Peder Estrup, former dean of the Graduate School and research and Newport Rogers Professor of Chemistry and professor of physics.

“Many faculty members at Brown work collaboratively, pulling in grants that involve the best talent from across disciplines,” Estrup said. “Multidisciplinary efforts underscore what is likely to be the primary future of science on this campus. Some Brown faculty do advanced things if they come together. Others work individually in exciting areas, which is a more traditional mode of doing research. All of these faculty members are exceptional.”

Kristen Cole contributed to this article.