UF received $776.2 million from research grants for the 2019 fiscal year, which ended June 30, said UF research communications director Joseph Kays.
About 68 percent of this money, or $526.8 million, came from the federal government, he said. Another $41.2 million came from the state, $54.4 million from industry and $99.1 million from foundations and nonprofit organizations.
All 16 UF colleges received money, Kays said. However, the College of Medicine in Gainesville received the most, at $283.9 million, while the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences came in second with $161.3 million.
IFAS won’t have a breakdown of research statistics for the 2019 fiscal year until September or October, said Mary Anne Sanders, spokesperson for the IFAS Office of the Dean for Research.
After IFAS, the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering received the third most, at $89.5 million, followed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with $40.4 million and the College of Education with $33 million, Kays said. The rest of the colleges received a total of $168.2 million.
Within the 2019 fiscal year, UF received 100 awards of $1 million or more, Kays said. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave a $4.9 million grant to IFAS for the development of irrigation systems which can safely use a combination of fresh and recycled water.
Although faculty is the driving force behind research impacts, money is what makes it possible, said Robert Gilbert, IFAS dean for research and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.
“Support from federal, state and local industry provides the resources our scientists need to tackle challenges such as food security, invasive species and water quality and conservation,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert also said the money reflects the researchers.
“Our researchers are incredibly entrepreneurial when pursuing support for their programs, which is reflected in funding received in fiscal year 2019,” he said.
The university predicts more financial support in the future, said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research.
“In 2019, we built on our strengths in health, agriculture, engineering, education and other fields,” Norton said. “We anticipate even more public and private support in the future.”
