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“This is great news,” Dr. Maurer said. “Coming on the heels of UNMC moving up in several categories of the latest U.S.News & World Report rankings of U.S. graduate schools, particularly the top 10 medical schools in primary care and the top 6 in rural health medicine. This sends a powerful message that our research and educational programs are on a world-class trajectory.”
The NSF rankings determined that the University of Nebraska spent $333.1 million in research and development spending in 2005 (the most recent data available). This figure includes institutional funds as well as external funds from the federal and state government, industry and other sources. This represents an 11 percent increase in spending over 2004, when the University of Nebraska ranked 33rd.
When looking at all public and private universities, the University of Nebraska moved up five places, going from 49th to 44th while bringing in more than $176 million in external funding for research in 2005.
“This remarkable improvement reflects the high priority placed on research at the University of Nebraska,” said NU President James B. Milliken. “Our strategic plan focuses on significantly increasing research and development, and this is evidence that we’re making excellent progress. Moving up even one spot per year would be an accomplishment, given how competitive this ranking is. To move up six places in one year is significant.”
UNMC brought in nearly $80 million in research funding during the 2005-06 fiscal year, Dr. Maurer said, noting that this figure excludes research support from the state and that 70 percent of the research total comes from the federal government.
“In spite of intense competition, research funding for the entire University of Nebraska continues to rise, and UNMC funding is increasing at a faster rate than that of the rest of the university,” Dr. Rosenquist said. “I am extremely proud of the UNMC scientists who fight the funding battles and do the magnificent work of biomedical research, without expecting fanfare or public plaudits. I salute them, and on their behalf, I thank Chancellor Maurer for creating an environment in which research is respected and honored.”
Dr. Maurer praised UNMC researchers for their collaborative efforts to take research from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside.
“It’s obvious that research funding has a huge economic impact on the state,” he said. “But more than that, research can truly make a difference in people’s lives. It can elevate patient care and education to a whole different level. I’d like to also congratulate UNL on moving up in the research rankings.”
Dr. Maurer said some of the most exceptional research currently taking place at UNMC involves work in cancer biology, genetics, diagnostics and therapeutics; neurosciences, including dementia; nanomedicine, the delivery of drugs using nanotechnology; the use of embryonic stem cells to replace failed organs; biosecurity; and the causes of heart failure and the development of new therapeutics to slow or prevent it.
He also noted that UNMC is leading the way in training future researchers at Nebraska’s undergraduate institutions through a $16.9 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources, a division of the National Institutes of Health. This grant — the largest in UNMC history — was awarded in 2004 to James Turpen, Ph.D., professor in the UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy. It is called the Institutional Development Award Program (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE).
The National Science Foundation tables can be accessed online by going to http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf07318/content.cfm?pub_id=3767&id=2.