University of Michigan research spending reaches $1.27B

By Kellie Woodhouse Higher education reporter

Posted on Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 6:03 p.m.

University of Michigan's research spending rose by $37.5 million in fiscal 2011-12, reaching an all-time high of $1.27 billion.

U-M Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest

University of Michigan

The change represents a 3 percent increase and is roughly one-third of the research growth U-M experienced in fiscal 2010-11, when levels were $1.24 billion.

U-M Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest predicted the slowing of growth last year, citing cutbacks in federal research spending due to the petering out of research funds allotted from the federal stimulus package of 2009.

Overall federal funding dipped by 3.6 percent —in spite of increases in funds from the National Science Foundation, department of energy and transportation and NASA— but university-generated research funding grew more than 20 percent and funding from industry increased by 5.6 percent, reaching $42.8 million.

Forrest expects the trend of lower federal research funding to continue.

"Looking ahead, the overall pace of growth for research funding from the federal government is slowing down," Forrest said.

U-M first broke the $1 billion mark during fiscal 2009, when research funding totaled $1.016 billion, a 12 percent increase from $929 million in fiscal 2008.

NSF in April ranked U-M first in research development among public universities in the U.S.