’s health sciences campus on Thursday to see how researchers are using federal grants to improve health care and create jobs.
According to aChronicle of Higher Educationlist to be published Friday, U of L had the fourth-largest increase in federal science and engineering research funding between 1999 and 2009. The Chronicle’s list said U of L jumped from $20 million to $72.8 million in federally funded research during that decade, a 263 percent increase.
“It’s gratifying to see what’s going on here in terms of advances, particularly in areas that result in a translation of some basic science discoveries,” Collins said.
Collins said he was interested in the work being done by cancer researchers andAdvanced Cancer Therapeutics LLC, which develops cancer drugs in partnership with U of L.
“NIH sees that as a particularly ripe area for grant investment,” he said. “Louisville has positioned itself to be strong in that area. I think that may account for the fact that U of L is seeing an increase in its NIH support even at a time when other institutions may not be.”
He noted that for the last 50 years, NIH grant proposals had about a one-in-three chance of being funded. With resources being squeezed, he said, the odds are now less than one in five.
“Competition is tighter now than it ever has been,” Collins said. “Resources are going to be quite stretched. So we can only push forward if the best and brightest are working in a creative atmosphere. If America is going to be competitive on a global scale — and that is being threatened right now — we will need entrepreneurial scientists at places like U of L to succeed. It’s great to see there is that spirit here.”
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell also toured U of L facilities with Collins on Thursday. He said that all areas of the federal budget will be tight in coming years, but he said that makes the NIH’s role even more important in deciding where to allocate grants.
Steve Ivey covers these beats: Health care, health insurance, attorneys, human resources, technology, automotive (Ford), media/marketing/printing, young professionals, West End, East End.
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