BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University faculty and researchers secured $772 million in total sponsored research awards in 2023, more than any other research university in the state.
With a year-over-year increase of $42 million from 2022, the sponsored research led by IU faculty is driving discovery, innovation and creative endeavors that are solving some of society’s greatest challenges, while improving the quality of life in Indiana and beyond.
“This growth in the scope of research across IU is a testament to the hard work, creativity and expertise of our world-renowned faculty who are leading groundbreaking initiatives that will change the world and improve lives,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “Coupled with our significant commitments to new research institutes, initiatives and collaborations, these funds not only drive life-changing research but foster investment and economic activity that bolster the vitality of our state.”
The increased external research funding is driving considerable progress toward the ambitious goals for transformational research and creative activity outlined in the university’s IU 2030 strategic plan, which include demonstrating significant research growth and building on the university’s strengths in human-centered disciplines, health sciences and STEM.
“We’re bringing an intentional focus on growing the many ways IU research serves communities across our state and drives economic development through projects that cross disciplines and engage our partners in industry,” said Russell J. Mumper, vice president for research. “Central to those efforts is providing unique research opportunities for our students that enrich their IU experience and prepare them for in-demand jobs.”
Among the external funding IU researchers received last year are several multi-year, major federal grants, including:
- The fourth consecutive multi-million-dollar National Institutes of Health grant renewal for the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, a statewide partnership housed at the IU School of Medicine that includes IU, Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame and the Regenstrief Institute. The $38 million in funding for the next seven years will help CTSI improve research and, ultimately, health in Indiana.
- Two U.S. Department of Defense awards totaling $11.7 million to fund Indianapolis research on discovering a drug treatment for hydrocephalus, a condition commonly associated with complications from traumatic brain injury that causes cerebrospinal fluid to accumulate in the brain.
- Nearly $7 million over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to establish the Center for Cannabis, Cannabinoids and Addiction, which is maintained by the Gill Center for Biomolecular Science and helps substance-use-disorder researchers across the nation in their efforts to find new therapies to treat addiction.
- A three-year, $5.7 million grant from the Department of Defense for the Center on Representative Government to enhance civics education and expand student interest in public service careers.
- A $2.4 million grant from the NIH and the National Endowment for the Arts to establish a research network at IU Indianapolis that will explore neurological and biopsychosocial mechanisms of music-based interventions in the treatment of chronic pain.
- National Endowment for the Humanities funding for Music Unwound, a national consortium that includes the Jacobs School of Music. The consortium promotes humanities-infused public programming in American classical music, with the goal of strengthening student and audience engagement.
These awards come as IU makes significant research commitments of its own through a $250 million investment in biosciences that includes two new research institutes at IU Indianapolis; a $111 million investment in microelectronics that will boost growth of the industry and contribute to U.S. national security; and several arts and humanities initiatives that will increase people’s understanding of the world and bolster IU’s impact as a global leader in creative activities.
