Colorado State University’s spending on research activities reached a record $407 million for fiscal year 2020, a 2% increase over last year.
The trajectory was welcome news, given the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in scaling back some research projects.
Estimates show that 432 projects were shut down or affected by the pandemic in April 2020, based on a survey of CSU faculty. The number of active projects at that time, however, remained very strong, at 4,290. More recently, the number of research projects affected by the pandemic has been reduced to 227, according to the Office of the Vice President for Research. READ MORE>>>
Alan Rudolph, vice president for research, said that research spending increased due to the strength of internal investments, which totaled $4.9 million, and an increase of $4.6 million in grants and contracts sponsored by industry and nonprofit organizations over 2019. In addition, the university expended gifts to support research in the amount of $6.5 million.
“We weathered the storm this year, in the face of a global pandemic, and the result is not only positive, but a new record for the university,” said Rudolph. “The increase we’ve seen in research spending this year is a testament to the quality, breadth and depth of our faculty.”
Research spending supported by federal, nonprofit, higher education, industry and other government organizations totaled more than $325 million, an increase over the last fiscal year of 1.4%, according to the Office of the Vice President for Research.
The Center for Environmental Management on Military Lands, CEMML, accounted for 28% of all sponsored program expenditures at the university, or $91 million. The center is part of the Warner College of Natural Resources.
In addition, the Infectious Disease Research Center increased research spending by $3.8 million, which covered projects to advance the development of a vaccine candidate against Rift Valley Fever Virus and a partnership to manufacture an HIV vaccine candidate for Sumagen, a biotechnology company based in South Korea.
Rudolph said that strategic investments in infectious disease research and response also helped to position the university to respond quickly to the global pandemic. Currently, there are 44 active COVID-19 research projects supported by more than $16 million across the university. READ MORE>>>
