University of Utah research funding continues to grow, totaling $641 million in fiscal year 2021, which ended June 30. The total is a new record high for the U, which achieved milestones of $600 million in funding last year and $500 million three years ago.

“Despite the ongoing pandemic, U research activities continue to thrive and grow in many disciplines across campus,” says Andy Weyrich, vice president for research. “Our remarkable research community is the reason why the U is a global leader in discovery and innovation.”

Research funding sources

According to the vice president for research office, federal funding is the largest source of research grants to the U, comprising 68% of funding. More than half of the federal funding (52%) came from the National Institutes of Health and 16% came from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The largest single grant in FY21 was awarded to Robert Ricci in the College of Engineering School of Computing. The $4,393,345 grant from the National Science Foundation supports Cloud Lab research computing infrastructure. Overall, the U School of Medicine received the most funding with $289M, followed by the Huntsman Cancer Institute with $83M.

Economic impact

Research grants were awarded to more than 1,000 principal investigators in diverse disciplines across campus. The funding supports nearly 8,000 employees and more than 4,000 trainees, including postdoctoral researchers, students and research assistants.

U research drives economic growth and development. In FY20, U research grants contributed $228 million to salaries and wages, which contributed $31 million in state and local sales taxes, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Since 2000, the U has launched 300 companies and more than 750 products, generating around 37,000 life science jobs.

“We’re very proud of our research community for reaching another historic milestone,” says Weyrich. “We look forward to seeing the exciting discoveries and innovations that will be developed through this funding support.”