University of Vermont

The University of Vermont set a new record for external funding this past year, receiving $146 million for research, instruction, public service and extension efforts. Award amounts have grown steadily in recent years, rising nine percent over fiscal year 2009 amounts, which totaled $134 million, and 96 percent since 2000, when sponsored awards were $75 million.

"Our faculty's success in attracting a record amount of research funding is a strong measure of the university's significant advance over the last decade," said UVM president Daniel Mark Fogel. "The variety and volume of these sponsored awards show that our goal of being one of the nation's premier small research universities is eminently achievable."

"Our outstanding faculty is dedicated not only to educating our students but also to creating meaningful new knowledge and expression," said Domenico Grasso, vice president for Research and dean of the Graduate College. "This significant increase in external funding is a resounding endorsement and reflection of their capabilities and potential."

This year's funding came from a total of 755 awards. Approximately eighty-three percent of the awards benefited research at the university.

Of the total amount, $23 million was awarded via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through sponsors including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Mayo Clinic and others.

The record total included CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation won by Joshua Bongard in Computer Science and Peter Dodds in Mathematics and Statistics. CAREER Awards are the "most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars," according to the NSF's website.

Among several competitive grants over $2 million UVM faculty received was a $2.2 million Program Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health awarded to David Warshaw, chair of the department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics for research on cardiomyopathy, a prevalent disease in the United States. One of NIH's most competitive grant programs, Program Project Grants provide support for integrated, multi-project research projects involving a number of independent investigators who share knowledge and common resources.

A $946,000 grant won by Lorraine Berkett of the Plant and Soil Science Department from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will benefit apple growers in the state and the region. The research focuses on techniques for enhancing organic apple production. The grant was a competitive renewal of work underway.

To learn more about FY 2010 sponsored awards, view this annual report (Excel) from the Office of Sponsored Programs website.