Herbert McRobbie

External funding for research and teaching projects across Indiana University's eight campuses increased 15 percent from 2004 to 2005.

Sponsors of research and teaching projects provided the university with $477 million, a record for IU and an amount greater than the combined total received in FY '05 by all other Indiana colleges and universities with research missions.

The achievement moves IU significantly closer to IU President Adam Herbert's challenge to the faculty to double the value of sponsored research projects within a decade. This goal would take IU from $383 million in FY '03 to more than $760 million by 2013.

"Our faculty deserves congratulations for the expertise and hard work that has attracted this remarkable level of support," Herbert said. "We are especially grateful for grants totaling $79 million from the Lilly Foundation. This funding is enabling us to invest in new laboratories and research initiatives that will make IU even more competitive for federally sponsored research, especially in the life sciences arena."

Nearly half of this year's total awards support life sciences research. In fact, a large portion of IU's 15 percent growth in funding is attributed to last year's $53 million "METACyt" grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. This award, the largest ever for IU Bloomington, is helping the campus establish research programs in metabolomics and cytomics, new scientific fields expected to vitalize medicine and basic science alike.

Michael McRobbie, IU vice president for research and information technology, said IU will face serious funding challenges in coming years because of budget constraints at the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies, as well as a sluggish national economy and a tight state budget.

"But we are proud of the continued growth we are seeing among our top programs," McRobbie said. "And we are proud of the role our faculty is playing in the economic development of the state of Indiana. External funding translates directly into high paying jobs for highly qualified scientists and researchers."