Kansas University researchers are pulling in more grant dollars and spending more than ever on their work, new figures show.
The numbers, released Wednesday, put the school on track to rank among the nation's top public research universities, officials said.
Bhuma Rajagopalan, 24, a KU graduate student in chemical engineering from India, works on a funded research project at Learned Hall. Numbers released Wednesday put KU on track to rank among top public research universities, officials said.
KU's research expenditures in the budget year ending June 30, 2001, were about $224 million for the year, up 16 percent from the previous year.
The increase should place KU closer to its goal of being in the top 25 public research universities, said Robert Barnhill, vice chancellor for research and public service.
The university is "heading there really fast, because our rate of increase is about double the national average," Barnhill said.
Research expenditures include money from outside sources particularly such as government or private industry spent on salaries and equipment on research projects.
KU logged $193 million in expenditures during fiscal year 2000, up from $168 million in 1999.
Science and engineering research during 2001 accounted for $156 million, while nonscience research accounted for $68 million.
The largest increases this year came in funds from the National Institutes of Health. KU received $53.5 million from the NIH, up from $43.6 million in 2000.
One of the NIH-funded projects worth $5.6 million will establish a statewide research network at the KU Medical Center. Undergraduate students from Kansas universities will come to the Med Center to pursue research projects.
KU ranked 53rd among public universities and 83rd among all universities for research funding, according to National Science Foundation statistics released last year and based on 1999 figures. This year's rankings are due out in the next few weeks.
The increasing research funds benefit Lawrence and the rest of the Kansas City metro area, Barnhill said. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates 40 jobs are created for every $1 million in research. That would mean KU's research funds about 9,000 positions.
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