UNC system schools turn to federal grants for funding

UNC-system schools are looking to external sources of funding to maintain their reputation as top research institutions.

A system-wide state funding cut of 15.6 percent, or $414 million, prompted schools to eliminate about 3,000 filled positions and hundreds of course sections this year. Universities have now grappled with more than $1 billion in state funding cuts during the last five years.

But Steve Leath, vice president for research for the UNC system, said universities have increased their intake of research grants and funding for each of the last five years.

The UNC system ranks third among all university systems nationwide for total federal research and development funding in the science and engineering fields, according to the last report compiled by the National Science Foundation in 2007. Leath said the decline in state funding has tipped the scale in favor of external research funding.

UNC-CH amassed a record high of $803 million in new awards in fiscal year 2010. The University has seen research funding double with steady growth for 14 years, said Barbara Entwisle, vice chancellor of research at UNC-CH.

But even federal sources of funding might not be a stable alternative for university research.

In fiscal year 2011, 72.8 percent of the total $788 million for the University’s research funding came from federal grants. Entwisle said that while funds for 2011 dropped slightly, mostly due to the end of the federal stimulus program, she is concerned about the availability of federal funds next year.

“I look into the future with hope, but I have concern about the conversations happening in Washington and the federal discussions about research,” she said.

Uncertain future for research

While faculty at different universities continue to receive grants for various research opportunities, federal funds might also soon be vulnerable to cost-cutting measures. Congress continues to debate measures to reduce the country’s national debt, which now exceeds $14.7 trillion.

Drew Coleman, a UNC-CH geology professor, said he has little hope for receiving funds for his latest research proposal.

“The program director was frank,” Coleman said. “He told me he just doesn’t have the money for it.”

Coleman said the geology department has received several grants in the past, but faculty members have expressed concern about the success of their research proposals because sources of federal grants might be subject to cuts.

“If the U.S. wants to be a leader, we need to fund research,” he said. “Research is how we move forward.”

Leath said universities will continue their lobbying efforts to moderate some of the proposed cuts to federal research funding.

“It’s not going to be the U.S. going back to traditional manufacturing, and I think most people are getting that,” he said. “They’re going to have to invest in research and innovation if they’re going to really grow the economy.”

Federally-funded research in the system

While federal funding remains available, universities plan to use grants as a tool for economic growth in the state.

Fayetteville State University received the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grant last month from the National Science Foundation, a $1.18 million grant that will provide scholarships for aspiring teachers in the STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — fields.

The program aims to groom 66 science and math teachers for the Fayetteville region, which administrators say has experienced a shortage of those positions at the middle and high school levels in “high-need” districts.

State education officials have said the elimination of 17,000 positions at public schools since the 2008-09 academic year — 35 percent of which were teachers — might have deterred college students from majoring in education and created shortages across the state.

Phil Dixon, a member of the system’s Board of Governors, said the board has encouraged campuses to collaborate and pool their resources to fill some of the gaps in state funding with federal grants.

“Certainly you might have a flagship like (N.C.) State in that case leading the way, but there would be an opportunity for the other campuses to get some crumbs from the table too,” he said.

Marcia Williams, coordinator of sponsored programs at N.C. A&T State University’s College of Engineering, said the N.C. Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation — another project funded by the foundation — consists of a partnership between eight institutions to improve the retention and graduation of students in STEM disciplines.

Projects at schools such as N.C. A&T and NCSU allow students to conduct undergraduate research and prepare them for professions in the state’s biotechnology and semiconductor industries, Williams said.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — also known as DARPA — announced the recipients of its Young Faculty Award program last week, which included Brian Floyd, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at NCSU.

Floyd said the grant of $300,000 during a two-year span will be used to fund research of millimeter-wave imaging systems and its defense industry applications.

The imaging systems are useful for detecting concealed objects in harsh environments, such as helicopters attempting to make safe landings during dust storms, he said. Faculty researchers will also visit military bases to learn more about the needs of troops.

Floyd said he’s prepared to seek other avenues of funding depending on the economic climate.

“I would continue to work on getting grants from national agencies, but I certainly am looking at and have some contracts with private industry,” he said.

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