Federal funding for research ebbs
The UI has reported an increase in external funding supporting research, though federal funding for research is trending downward.
University of Iowa Provost Sue Curry speaks to UI President Bruce Harreld during a state Board of Regents meeting at the University of Northern Iowa campus on Thursday, June 8, 2017. (The Daily Iowan/Nick Rohlman)
July 19, 2017
Federal funding for research is dwindling by millions, and although the University of Iowa’s push for philanthropic donations is paying off, it might not be enough to make up for the decrease.
The UI reported on Monday an estimated 1 percent increase in total external funding — including gift commitments and charitable grants from the UI Foundation — from $551.9 million in fiscal 2016 to $557.7 million in fiscal 2017. Nonfederal funds supporting research increased from $437.9 million to $443.3 million.
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Despite the rise in funding from outside sources, support from federal agencies has been trending downward by an average of 1.4 percent over the past decade, said Dan Reed, the UI vice president for Research and Economic Development, in a press release. In fiscal 2016, the UI received $240.3 million in federal research funding; that total fell to $224.4 million in fiscal 2017.
Reed said in the release this trend is precisely why universities should promote “creative, ambitious, and interdisciplinary research proposals.”
“Discovery — especially the game-changing variety — is fueled not only by money but by vision, imagination, and cooperation,” he said. “It’s about forging new frontiers of discovery and innovation and promoting a culture of creativity that inspires and motivates.”
UI President Bruce Harreld said at the June 8 state Board of Regents meeting at the University of Northern Iowa that the interaction of students, faculty, and staff in the areas of graduate and professional programs, research, and outreach create the value students seek from the institution.
“As we work to implement our strategic plan, these three distinct areas of our university that support the success of our students will be the focus of our investments,” he said. “These future investments — while they may not seem directly related to the success of our students — most certainly impact them in very profound ways.”
One of the key goals of the UI’s recently approved strategic plan for 2016-21 is to perform high-impact research through identifying the “grand challenges of the 21st century,” supporting curricular innovations, and investing in research centers, among other tasks.
But there is concern that this trend of declining federal funding will only hinder the discovery that will address those challenges. President Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal 2018 includes funding cuts to agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency that fuel science and medical research.
UI interim Provost Sue Curry told The Daily Iowan the cuts would not completely stop the research enterprise, but for the UI, it would become a matter of competition.
“It’s just going to be more competitive and fewer dollars, so how do we continue to compete in that environment and what opportunities and resources can we bring as a university to encourage successful research with our faculty,” she said.
There are people who care deeply about the research that people conduct at universities, but the scale of support federal agencies provide is “dramatic” and could not solely be made up by philanthropy, UI Foundation President and CEO Lynette Marshall told the DI.
“It will not be possible for philanthropy to replace federal and state research funding; it’s too big of a hole,” she said. “… We need as a society to continue supporting and investing in basic and applied research to continue our position in that arena nationally, internationally.”