The University of Notre Dame received $113 million in research awards for fiscal year 2014, the highest ever recorded at the University in a non-stimulus year and a $17 million increase over the previous year.
Notre Dame received $119 million in 2010, but approximately $30 million was from government stimulus grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We have made a commitment to become a pre-eminent research institution, and I am pleased that even in an incredibly competitive market our researchers are rightly claiming their place among the world’s best,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University. “As we continue to grow and expand, I look forward to seeing the increasing impact Notre Dame’s faculty and students will make through research that is making a difference in our world.”
Out of the successful proposals, approximately 52 percent of the funding was awarded by the federal government for research, facilities and equipment, and educational and service programs. Awards from industrial sponsors represented 14 percent of the total awards, with 34 percent sponsored by foundations and other sponsors. Among the awards:
- $23 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fight malaria and dengue fever through research into the effectiveness of spatial repellency in mosquito control.
- A five-year, $10 million grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration to support the Center for Shock Wave-processing of Advanced Reactive Materials.
- Over $8 million from the John Templeton Foundation for a number of research initiatives, such as The Experience Project, which will see the Department of Philosophy explore religious and transformative experiences.
- A $12 million continuation grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the Energy Frontier Research Center to continue research on actinide materials at the nanoscale, which will support future nuclear energy systems that may create more energy with less waste.
In addition, Notre Dame also won awards from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Lilly Endowment, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Institutes of Health, USAID and many others.
Speaking about the funding during a Shamrock Series event in Indianapolis last weekend, Vice President for Research Robert Bernhard said, “Our recent success in growing our research profile is due to the strong vision and incredible hard work of our faculty. Notre Dame faculty have been successful in an increasingly competitive research environment. These grants enable our faculty and students to work on interesting and important questions and we see many other interesting opportunities emerging as well.”
Contact:: Joanne D. Fahey, research communications program director