Medical School physicians and scientists earned more than $366 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding in federal fiscal year 2009, according to NIH data. In all, the school’s faculty brought in more than $435 million in research funding from all sources in U-M fiscal year 2009.
The record-setting achievement cements the Medical School’s position among the top 10 medical schools in the nation in terms of NIH grants awarded. The school ranked 8th overall in NIH grants and 3rd among medical schools affiliated with public universities.
These funds, which researchers must compete for against peers from around the nation, enable U-M scientists and physicians to continue to explore innovative approaches to understanding a wide array of questions germane to health and disease. The work they do with these dollars aims to improve quality of life for all Americans, and serves as an economic engine for the region and an investment in our nation’s future.
“This achievement reflects incredible effort by thousands of faculty, staff, trainees and students,” says Medical School Dean Dr. James Woolliscroft. “Our success at securing these awards reflects the creativity, expertise and talent our researchers have been able to focus on the myriad health related problems facing our nation, and the potential impact of their ideas on medical care and scientific understanding of human disease.”
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, for every dollar directly spent by a medical school or teaching hospital, an additional $1.30 is “re-spent” on other businesses or individuals, resulting in a total impact of $2.30 per dollar. That means that as the $435 million in funds from all sources are spent over the next few years, they will have a net benefit on the economy of $1 billion.
Of the total $366 million in NIH grants awarded to the Medical School in federal fiscal year 2009, $47.5 million were awarded through the federal economic stimulus package known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Medical School garnered 8.2 percent of Challenge Grants it submitted to NIH under ARRA, while nationally the Challenge Grant program funded only 4.3 percent of some 20,000 proposals received.
“In federal fiscal year 2009, our researchers brought to Michigan a total of 2.71 percent of all funding that NIH awarded to American medical schools,” says Steven Kunkel, senior associate dean for research at the Medical School. “In terms of base appropriations, our researchers garnered 2.81 percent of all non-ARRA-related NIH funding. This reflects an increase in market share for the U-M Medical School compared to the prior year and is further evidence of the skill, expertise and innovativeness of our researchers.”
The NIH data is available at report.nih.gov/award/state/state.cfm.
