U-M research hits $1B in 2009, including $218M in federal stimulus money

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

One billion is quite the number. That includes nine zeros, takes up 10 digits and when talking about money makes an awful lot of people happy.

Those people are involved in research at the University of Michigan, which crossed the $1 billion mark for research spending last year. That includes $218 million in federal stimulus cash. It's a first for U-M.

"It has a substantial impact in accelerating the programs we have already," says Stephen Forrest, vice president for research at the University of Michigan. An audio link of his presentation to the U-M Board of Regents about the university's research efforts can be found here.

Of course the problem with reaching new heights is staying there. A $200 million plus bump in one-time funding from the federal stimulus isn't a long-term proposition, so it seems logical the university will have to work hard to keep its research spending in the billion-dollar range. However, Forrest likes to point to trends to answer whether such spending is sustainable.

"We've never fallen back from a number," Forrest says. "It's always increasing."

Other fun numbers recently released from the university in regards to recent research activities are:

Research spending is up 9.4 percent
The university produced 350 inventions last year
Eight new start-ups were licensed
300 university employees are being moved into the newly acquired North Campus Research Complex (the old Pfizer campus)

Source: Stephen Forrest, vice president for research at the University of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke