A total of $1.4 million was awarded to research initiatives across the Univer-sity campuses last week, marking the fourth year that the University President’s office awarded grants to faculty researchers.
It is part of a larger plan to enrich the University’s research enterprise, one that places the University as one of the top three research institutions in Massachu-setts.
“As a major public research University, our research portfolio won’t grow by accident – we need to promote excellence,” said President Jack M. Wilson.
The grant pool was divided into two categories: Science and Technology Fund, which is in its fourth year, and the new Creative Economy Fund.
The money was given to 14 faculty projects, ranging from stem cell research to expanding Boston Public Library’s access to rare books. Wilson said, the broad spectrum of the initiatives is one of the defining characteristics of the University’s research ventures.
Since the founding of the fund in 2004, 34 projects have been funded.
In the 2007 fiscal year alone, the technology commercialization revenue ex-ceeded $41 million.
“We work hard to create an academic environment that helps professors con-vert revolutionary discoveries to solutions to real-world problems and bring them to market,” said Wilson.
The University’s success not only builds its reputation, but also attracts addi-tional funding from outside sources. The National Science Foundation reported that in 2006, the research portfolio across the University’s campuses surpassed $403 million dollars, a 38 percent increase since 2002.
Three years after the fund’s conception, the president’s office expanded its vision by adding the Creative Economy Fund.
“It’s important to recognize that investments are needed across all disci-plines,” said Wilson. “I think these grants will create significant economic and cul-tural benefits.”
The economic and cultural benefits Wilson mentioned refer to a larger im-age.
According to Wilson, the University is not just a center of education, but an outlet of research and a significant participant in the Commonwealth’s social and economic development. This relationship between the University and the state is one that cannot be neglected.
According to the University president’s office, there is still more to be done on this front.
“I think the Patrick Administration and the state legislature recognize the important role that UMass plays,” said President Wilson, “but the University has to do all it can to keep fostering innovation.”
Sruthi Valluri can be reached at [email protected].
