UCI Posts Rise in Research Funds for ’93 : Education: The university says its labs and think tanks received a record $103.9 million in contracts and grants from government and private sources.

Somewhat to its surprise, UC Irvine in fiscal 1993 garnered a record $103.9 million in research contracts and grants from government and private sources, a 3.1% increase over the previous year, the university said Wednesday.

“Despite a continuing national recession and severe internal budget cuts, our researchers are holding their own and bringing in a growing number of research dollars,” said Patricia O’Brien, acting vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at UCI.

The money represents a vast array of research dollars that poured into the labs and think tanks of UCI during the 1992-93 fiscal year. Medical research drew the biggest share of the money. During the period, the university’s College of Medicine attracted 39% of UCI’s total research funds, followed by the School of Biological Sciences with 21.4%.

“Because the university has a significant economic impact on the local economy, these numbers are good news not only for UCI but the whole county,” O’Brien said.

University officials said they were somewhat astonished that, for the second consecutive year, the research money flowing into UCI topped the $100-million mark, in spite of the bad economy.

“I really expected that we might drop back a little” in fiscal 1993, said Christina Hansen, director of the Office of Contracts and Grants Administration. “The fact that the total has continued to hold about $100 million indicates a healthy rate of growth.”

Randall Black, a spokesman for the university, said the $103.9 million represented a wide assortment of governmental and private industry contracts and research grants.

“They ranged from transportation studies to research on Alzheimer’s disease,” Black said. “The money supported a variety of activities, the primary one being research. The activities included such things as a summer program to help elementary-school teaching of science.”

While the average size of research awards decreased, there were more of them.

“The trend (in fiscal 1993) was smaller grants in greater numbers,” Black said.

Only 22 of the research grants to UCI in fiscal 1993 were for amounts over $500,000. The biggest single award was $7 million for an advanced transportation management research program. That award, made by the California Department of Transportation, went to Wilfred Recker, director of UCI’s Institute of Transportation Studies.

Another major research award was $790,000 given by the National Institutes of Health to Michael Selsted, UCI associate professor of pathology. Selsted’s research includes studies on a fungal disease associated with AIDS.

Black said that “organized research,” a term meaning common-goal research by groups rather than individuals, made a significant gain last fiscal year.

“Cooperation paid off handsomely for researchers last year,” Black said. “As a group, the organized research programs showed an increase of 61% in total funding and now account for 21% of total awards to the campus, compared to 13%” the previous year.

Ken Moore, president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, said he agrees that UCI’s capability to draw in research money is “good news” for the county.

“Institutions of higher education are important to the economic vitality and economic future of the area which they serve,” he said.

“UCI, by bringing in $103.9 million of research grants from government and the private sector, is significant” to the county’s economic base.

Moore added that the UCI research dollars bring more than just cash to the county. He said UCI’s growing reputation as a research university is likely to draw more industries to Orange County.

“Research being done by colleges and universities attracts industries that want to be close to where the research is taking place,” Moore said. “So I think (UCI’s increase in research funding) will have a greater, long-term impact on the county’s economy.”

UCI Bounty UC Irvine received more than $100 million in fiscal 1993 research contracts and grants, a 3% increase from the previous year. Average grant size, however, declined. Grants ‘89: 698 ‘93: 1,063 Total awards In millions ‘89: $68.7 ‘93: $103.9 Average grant size* In thousands ‘89: $98.5 ‘93: $97.7 * Zero-cost grants not included Grant Sources and Recipients Following recent patterns, UCI received most of its fiscal year 1993 grant money from federal agencies. The School of Medicine was the primary recipient: Who’s providing grants Federal agencies: 69% Private: 17% State: 9% UC programs: 4% Other government: 1% Departments, schools receiving grants Medicine: 39% Biological Sciences: 21% Engineering: 15% Physical Sciences: 15% Social Ecology: 2% Information Computer Sciences: 2% Social Sciences: 1% Graduate School of Management: 1% Department of Education: 1% All others: 3% Source: UC Irvine