{"id":111954,"date":"2020-08-20T12:59:03","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T16:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=111954"},"modified":"2022-05-17T09:26:22","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T13:26:22","slug":"ucf-sets-research-funding-record-of-204-5-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-sets-research-funding-record-of-204-5-million\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Sets Research-Funding Record of $204.5 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"

UCF hit a milestone in sponsored research funding<\/a> in 2020, generating $204.5 million by the close of the fiscal year. That\u2019s up from $192.1 million last year<\/a> and a 40 percent increase since 2016.<\/p>\n

The upward trend is a result of many factors, including excellent faculty, restructuring the Office of Research and new initiatives that have given faculty additional resources when applying for large, competitive grants, says Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for the Office of Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur faculty are dedicated, passionate and creative people,\u201d says Klonoff. \u201cSecuring research funding is no easy thing. And our faculty have managed to do so even during difficult times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those times have included two federal government shutdowns, less federal research and development funding, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Klonoff and her team have implemented many changes to the Office of Research to improve efficiencies and enhance services.<\/p>\n

By the Numbers<\/h2>\n

Out of the $204.5 million, more than $110.7 million came from federal agencies. State and local government agencies contributed $47.3 million while industry provided $46.4 million.<\/p>\n

The College of Engineering and Computer Science<\/a> generated the most of all colleges with $43.4 million, followed by the College of Community Innovation and Education<\/a> with $30.6 million and the College of Sciences<\/a> with $24.4 million. CARES grants were not included in the total.<\/p>\n

Among the groups making the biggest gains are the Center for Research in Computer Vision, Florida Space Institute and Faculty Research Clusters<\/a>. The nine clusters are made up of interdisciplinary faculty who are taking on thematic problems such as cybersecurity, coastal sustainability and renewable energy, among others.<\/p>\n

How did we get here?<\/h2>\n

Faculty are at the heart of any research institution. Since 2016, tenure and tenure-earning faculty have increased from 1,005 to 1,097 as of August 2020. These faculty members, along with researchers and scientists at UCF, have proposed innovative projects that have successfully garnered funding. Among some of the biggest grants that fell within this fiscal year are:<\/p>\n