Colorado State University Receives Record Research Funds, Maintains Focus on Teaching

Colorado State University received a record $166 million in sponsored research awards for fiscal year 2000-2001, $12 million more than the previous year and a nearly 25 percent increase in external research support over the past five years.

"Colorado State’s continually increasing external funding is an indication of the quality research taking place at this university," said Peter Nicholls, provost and academic vice president for the campus. "This activity also has a major positive impact on our instructional mission. Our researchers bring their knowledge to the classroom and give students the opportunities to get hands-on experience with real projects."

Federal funds made up the majority of the sponsored awards and totaled about $109 million, nearly 10 percent more than the previous year. Commercial, state and other non-federal awards added another $57 million.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provided the largest amount of awards to the campus at $29 million, followed by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Agriculture at about $14 million each and the Department of Defense at $11 million. The Department of Education, NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency also funded research projects at Colorado State. For a complete breakdown of funding, see the attached chart.

"The boost in sponsored research at Colorado State is the result of nationally renowned work by our outstanding faculty, students and research associates," said Anthony Frank, vice president for research and information technology at Colorado State. "This is especially significant considering that our faculty researchers often maintain substantial teaching responsibilities."

Sponsored programs generate the largest portion of Colorado State’s finances, making up more than 25 percent of the university’s budget. In comparison, less than 23 percent of the university’s funding is provided by the state legislature.

In addition to the increase in sponsored research awards, the university also had a record year in private fundraising. More than 31,000 donors gave over $37 million in total gifts and pledges. Ninety-three percent of contributions in fiscal year 2000-2001 provided support for academic areas and 7 percent provided support for athletics.

Colorado State University
External Research Funding Sources for FY 2000-01

Federal Funds
Department of Agriculture: $13,968,856
Department of Commerce: 8,572,960
Department of Defense: 10,959,044
Department of Education: 3,066,835
Department of Energy: 2,420,569
Department of Interior: 5,990,628
Department of State: 128,720
Department of Transportation: 266,231
Environmental Protection Agency: 2,146,276
Health & Human Services: 28,989,112
Miscellaneous: 13,469,017
National Science Foundation: 14,074,957
NASA: 4,779,923
Total Federal Funds: $108,833,128

Non-Federal Funds
Commercial & Other: $38,005,059
State Funds: 19,098,968
Total Non-Federal Funds: $57,104,027

Total Funds: $165,937,155

Note: The miscellaneous category includes student aid.