CSU sees another record-breaking year in research spending

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Gary Polakovic
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Jeff Dodge
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Colorado State University achieved another record-breaking year in sponsored projects expenditures, topping last year’s record by nearly $10 million as it invested in research areas such as climate solutions, public health and agriculture.

In the past fiscal year, CSU’s sponsored projects expenditures totaled $456.9 million. That’s up about $10 million from the previous record of $447.2 million, which had eclipsed the year before (2019-20) by 10%.

Of this past year’s expenditures, 73% was funded from U.S. government agencies. The rest comes from state and local government, non-profit groups, industry and other universities.

“Our research training, discovery and innovation enterprise continues to expand its reach based on our collaborative spirit and passion to make a difference in our region and in our world,” said Alan Rudolph, CSU vice president for research. “I am proud of all the amazing researchers, scholars, students, faculty and expert staff that make CSU dreams possible.”

“The breadth and scale of these research achievements speak directly to the creativity, curiosity, and skill of our faculty, staff and students,” said CSU Interim President Rick Miranda. “What’s particularly significant is the way CSU’s research is focused on solving the pressing challenges facing our state, the country, and the world.”

Highlights of the year

Research highlights from 2021-22 include:

  • Leading a $177 million NASA mission to study thunderstorm activity in the tropics. It consists of three satellites that will look top-down at storms to better understand storm physics and related climate processes.
  • A $12.5 million project funded by the National Science Foundation to study microbes in the air. It’s an interdisciplinary project examining how changes across land, air, plants and animals shape the air we breathe.
  • A Washington D.C.-based, bipartisan, blue-ribbon commission identified by CSU and other land-grant universities as the first line of defense to protect public health, economic and national security and farm communities from disease outbreaks. The Hill carried a related op-ed by Chancellor Tony Frank and former Sen. Tom Daschle.
  • Joining a $15 million NSF research network created to enhance sustainability, equity and resilience in the intermountain West. It will focus on regions impacted by catastrophic wildfires, declining water supplies and rapid urban population growth. It’s a joint project with the University of New Mexico, University of Arizona and Washington State University.
  • A study that measured respiratory particles produced from people singing or playing instruments, informing communities on risks in performance during the COVID pandemic. The research resulted in national news coverage by CBS News and late-night TV shows.

The College of Liberal Arts saw the largest percentage growth in funded research among all of CSU’s eight colleges, up 53.7 percent over 2020-21. The CLA departments of Political Science, English and Languages, Literatures and Cultures saw the biggest gains over last year.

Overall, the Warner College of Natural Resources spends the most of any college in sponsored research, largely because it is home to the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, which accounted for $101.5 million of the college’s $145.9 million total. Second is the Walter Scott Jr., College of Engineering, at $87.2 million, followed by the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, which had $75 million in sponsored research last year.

More details are available at https://col.st/2xuOW.