Millions of dollars in research awards were granted to UF last year, surpassing past records.
Colleges on campus were on the receiving end of $702 million, $24 million more than the previous amount of $678 million in 2010.
Among the recipients, UF’s College of Medicine in Gainesville and Jacksonville received $366 million.
The amount will go toward funding existing projects, as well as a few new ones, said Stephen Sugrue, senior associate dean of research affairs at UF.
“The College of Medicine chose not to open new areas of research in order to focus more on strengthening the ones they have, for the most part,” he said. “The awards we received were largely attributed to our enhancement and team science.”
Sugrue said recent hires and previous grant recipients are working together on current projects.
The colleges sent out research proposals for funding consideration.
David Norton, UF vice president for research, said the money received was a positive reflection on the faculty.
“Our faculty have an incredible amount of talent and commitment to their projects,” he said.
About 6,000 individual projects were handed in to agencies by UF colleges, Norton said. Some of the agencies contributing to UF’s research funding include the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Among them, the College of Engineering brought in $63 million, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences brought in $102 million and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences brought in $35 million, according to a press release.
Students such as Dianmarie De Jesus, a 21-year-old biology senior, said she came to UF because of its status as a research school.
“A large budget for the school means a large budget for the faculty doing the research,” she said. “It raises the esteem of the school and helps students who are interested in assisting with research, too.”
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 9/2/2014 under the headline "UF breaks record for grants"]
