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LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- A record $187 million in 2010 fiscal year grant funding is fueling a research project boom at Utah State University.
The grant funds brought an additional $49 million to faculty studying everything from geothermal energy to algae biofuels and hearing-aid performance.
This is a testament to the faculty. We have good things going on that are timely and necessary.
–Jim Dorward
USU President Stan Albrecht called the numbers "encouraging," and said they help reverse the downturn seen in 2009, when the economy slowed.
USU says funding for 2010 represents a 29 percent increase over funds awarded in 2009.
About $12 million of USU's increased research dollars came from the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
USU's Office of Proposal Development (OPD) is also helping campus researchers submit more proposals that ever before. Launched in 2008, the office is staffed by experienced grant writers who helped researchers with 1,446 proposals for the 2010 fiscal year. That's up 22 percent from fiscal year 2009.
Among those benefiting from the OPD's help: USURF, the nonprofit which oversees the Space Dynamics Laboratory and Energy Dynamics Laboratory has increased its grant income by $10 million to more than $62 million.
Jeff Muhs, the lab's executive director, said he is thrilled with the growth and expects it will continue.
"I'm bullish on the future," Muhs said. "Energy is a hot topic. There is a lot of interest in funding it."
The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services is also enjoying success. It placed fifth in the nation for external funding in a field of roughly 1,200 similar colleges.
"This is a testament to the faculty," said Jim Dorward, associate dean for research at the college. "We have good things going on that are timely and necessary."
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