KU is solidly in top 100 nationally for research and development dollars, but it’s not keeping up in some key areas | News, Sports, Jobs

photograph by: Sylas Could

They make airplanes — not rockets — in Wichita, however there’s a brand new set of numbers out which may trigger you to assume otherwise. In any case, one thing has powered Wichita State College’s engineering college into the stratosphere.

Wichita State completed fiscal 12 months 2021 as a prime 20 college in the whole nation for engineering analysis and improvement funding. Others included in that prime 20 group embrace analysis powerhouses like Johns Hopkins, Georgia Tech, MIT, Cal-Berkley and Michigan, in accordance with the lately launched increased training analysis and improvement report from the Nationwide Science Basis.

That very same doc — which is taken into account the annual report card for analysis universities throughout the nation — delivers a extra combined accounting of the College of Kansas. KU continues to be the most important mass in Kansas — its $380 million in R&D funding in fiscal 12 months 2021 was $180 million greater than the following closest college within the state.

KU is solidly a prime 100 analysis college within the nation, rating 72nd amongst all private and non-private faculties in 2021. It’s a prime 50 public college at No. 47. When it comes to life sciences funding — assume medical-related analysis — KU is second amongst all Large 12 universities.

However the NSF report additionally gives proof that whereas KU is huge for the area, the rocket gas isn’t essentially flowing on the college. Moderately, the constraining results of gravity are being felt. KU’s 72nd rating amongst all universities truly was down two spots from its No 70 rating in 2020. Moreover, its engineering college funding ranks close to the underside of the Large 12 convention.

The starkest determine, although, is discovered while you drill deeper into the report. The NSF tracks each whole R&D funding and federal R&D funding as a result of these federal funds typically are the lifeblood of main analysis universities. In fiscal 12 months 2021, KU attracted federal analysis {dollars} at a far slower tempo than it anticipated.

Final 12 months, Chancellor Douglas Girod stated he thought it was affordable to count on will increase of 8% to 12% a 12 months in federal analysis {dollars} for the following a number of years, based mostly on KU’s rising analysis portfolio. However in fiscal 12 months 2021, federal R&D funding at KU grew by simply 1.2%. Nationally, federal R&D funding to universities grew by 6.6% for the 12 months. Since 2010, progress in KU’s federal R&D funding has constantly trailed the nationwide common. KU’s federal {dollars} have grown by about 27%. Nationally, federal R&D {dollars} to universities have elevated by 31%.

Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for analysis for KU, stated the numbers are a reminder that KU is in severe competitors for R&D funding, and infrequently is competing towards bigger universities situated nearer to the coastal medical and tech hubs, and the faculties incessantly have larger state funding and services.

“I believe we’re doing fairly effectively,” Atkinson stated, given the challenges, “however we acknowledge that we have to do higher.”

photograph by: Courtesy: College of Kansas

Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for analysis, College of Kansas

Aiming for elite

Atkinson and different KU leaders consider there’s good cause to count on that KU quickly might be doing higher. The 2021 R&D numbers have been compiled earlier than the KU Medical Heart was named a Complete Most cancers Heart by the Nationwide Most cancers Institute.

When the announcement was made final summer season, KU grew to become simply the 53rd Complete Most cancers Heart within the nation. That’s the identical designation as well-known most cancers therapy campuses such because the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and the MD Anderson Most cancers Heart in Houston, for instance.

If KU is ever to have a depot of rocket gas, it doubtless might be within the most cancers division of the KU Medical Heart in Kansas Metropolis, Kan.

On the day of the announcement, KU obtained a $14 million, five-year grant from the Nationwide Most cancers Institute and a $16 million federal appropriation secured by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas.

The {dollars} have solely gotten larger since that July announcement. In December, Moran’s workplace introduced that $43 million was included in Congress’ year-end funding invoice for a brand new most cancers heart constructing on the KU Med campus.

These are the early indicators of the facility of a Complete Most cancers Heart designation.

“That basically goes to make a distinction,” Atkinson stated of the designation. “It places KU in that elite group of establishments.”

To make issues higher, the most recent NSF report exhibits KU is ranging from a fairly sturdy spot. With $230 million in life sciences analysis funding in 2021, KU already ranks No. 2 within the Large 12 Convention in terms of life sciences analysis. KU trails solely Baylor, which has an enormous medical college that garners greater than $700 million in R&D funding by itself.

The truth that KU already is forward of establishments just like the College of Texas — total it’s a behemoth that garnered almost $800 million in whole R&D funding, however solely $150 million in life sciences {dollars} — is important.

In basketball parlance, that rating, mixed with the brand new Complete Most cancers Heart designation, will get the eye of five-star recruits.

“There’s nothing that helps you appeal to top-notch researchers like having different profitable researchers they are going to be working with,” Atkinson stated.

photograph by: Sara Shepherd

The College of Kansas Medical Heart campus in Kansas Metropolis, Kan., proven from thirty ninth Avenue dealing with east, is pictured June 11, 2017.

An engineering rebuild

Observers of the Lawrence financial system are prone to be aware that any surge in R&D funding for the Most cancers Heart is prone to enhance the Kansas Metropolis financial system greater than the Lawrence financial system, since many of the analysis will happen on that KC campus. The Lawrence campus is predicted to see some profit, particularly within the Faculty of Pharmacy and the molecular biosciences division, Atkinson stated.

However Atkinson additionally predicted it will likely be a completely totally different self-discipline that drives R&D progress on the Lawrence campus.

“I do assume engineering is the principle alternative for progress in analysis on the Lawrence campus,” Atkinson stated.

The most recent NSF report gives a glimpse on the work that must be achieved. KU ranked second to final in engineering R&D funding amongst all Large 12 universities which have a faculty of engineering.

By the identical token, the report exhibits that there’s the potential for $100 million or extra in new analysis exercise on the KU campus simply by rising the engineering college. KU had about $21 million in engineering analysis {dollars}, in accordance with the NSF report. Texas had almost $280 million in engineering R&D cash, whereas Iowa State had about $125 million.

Nationally, engineering funding is the second largest class of all R&D funding, trailing life sciences. Since 2018, engineering R&D funding nationally has been rising at a barely increased charge than life sciences.

In different phrases, there’s cash available. However it’s unlikely to return cheaply.

“We all know that is an space we have to spend money on,” Atkinson stated of efforts to extend engineering R&D funding. “We have to maintain recruiting engineering college, and that’s costly. That’s the reason the finances the state offers us is such a priority for us.”

Whereas extra state funding can be useful, Wichita State is proving which you could get the eye of the engineering business whereas being situated in Kansas. WSU’s ascent to a top-20 engineering college has produced some eye-popping numbers. In 2018, Wichita State had about $63 million in engineering R&D funds. By the top of 2021, it had almost $160 million. Engineering expenditures grew by 148%. Throughout that very same time interval, KU’s engineering expenditures grew by 22%.

The best way WSU climbed the ladder could also be totally different than how KU will try to take action. Atkinson, who praised what WSU has achieved, stated that college targeted totally on aerospace engineering. KU, then again, is making an attempt to develop some areas of emphasis in engineering, reminiscent of pc science and cybersecurity, however doesn’t wish to specialize to the diploma that WSU has.

“We are attempting to construct up some focus areas, however we have to keep a broad portfolio in engineering,” stated Atkinson, who believes that broad focus is vital to assist the state meet its number of engineering workforce wants.

Large ambitions

Regardless of the totally different path, Atkinson is projecting sturdy progress in KU engineering’s analysis portfolio. He stated a optimistic, early signal of the potential is that the NSF has made 11 “profession awards” to researchers within the KU engineering division over an roughly five-year interval.

“The NSF is recognizing of us who’ve an opportunity to be main researchers over their careers,” Atkinson stated. “That’s the kind of folks the college has been capable of appeal to. They’re constructing it up, and analysis {dollars} are rising.”

Atkinson expects it to develop extra shortly sooner or later. He thinks it’s affordable to count on 10% per 12 months progress in engineering expenditures within the subsequent a number of years.

“However it can take us a while to get the momentum to realize that,” he stated.

That may imply KU engineering analysis funding would develop at twice the speed that it’s at this time — an bold purpose, however Atkinson stated there isn’t a cause for KU to be something apart from bold in terms of the way forward for analysis.

He pointed to building that’s underway on KU’s West Campus to construct a reside, work, play improvement that can embrace not solely college analysis labs, but additionally workplace buildings that can home firms that wish to be near KU researchers. For good measure, the venture additionally will embrace industrial facilities and upscale residential housing, aimed to draw college students and researchers alike.

That’s a partnership between KU and KU Endowment, the billion-dollar-plus non-public fundraising arm of the college. It is only one of a number of analysis initiatives KU Endowment is concerned with. Much less seen has been KU’s Analysis Rising venture, which final 12 months supplied $12 million in funding to KU researchers on the Lawrence campus.

Add collectively the brand new initiatives, the brand new most cancers heart designation and KU’s total prime 100 rating, and Atkinson believes KU has one thing that permits it to have aggressive ambitions — a real nationwide fame.

“We actually are a significant a part of the U.S analysis enterprise,” Atkinson stated.