Research Surges

Faculty researchers at Rutgers University in Newark have been extremely productive of late, and the dollars are there to prove it. This past year research funding reached an all-time high, with a two-year growth of 54% in sponsored funding.

Many Rutgers-Newark schools, departments, research centers and institutes deserve credit for achieving the record-breaking success. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences garnered 41% of the external funding pie during fiscal year 2010 ($12 million), the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience captured 19% ($5.5 million), the Small Business Development Center at Rutgers Business School (RBS) received 14% ($4 million), and RBS won 12% ($3.7 million).

Within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences generated the most dollars ($2.6 million). Honorable mentions include the College of Nursing ($1.2 million), the School of Public Affairs and Administration ($.9 million), the School of Criminal Justice ($.87 million), the School of Law ($.56 million), the Chancellor's Office ($.43 million), and the Graduate School ($.25 million).

While many factors contributed to the increase in external funding, most of the accolades go to the Rutgers-Newark faculty and staff involved in writing the 217 proposals submitted to the various sources. Faculty won awards to further research on global climate change, prison recidivism, the desert landscape's effect on fire frequency and intensity, and the neural basis of continued illicit drug use by addicts, among many other projects. Staff engaged in the proposal submission process received funding for the Future Business Computing Institute, the RU Ready for Work program, the Paul Robeson Galleries, the New Jersey Small Business Development Center/New Jersey School's Development Authority collaboration, and more.

The majority of the funding comes from federal sources. The National Institutes of Health, the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research, was the largest single contributor at $9 million. The second largest single funder, the National Science Foundation (NSF), awarded $5.5 million to various Rutgers-Newark projects. NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. Rutgers-Newark also received funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("stimulus" funds) during fiscal year 2010 totaling $2.8 million.