UA Breaks Records Reaching Almost $100 Million in Sponsored Funding

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama had a record year in sponsored funding for fiscal year 2018, reaching almost $100 million in sponsored funding through external grants and contracts for research, instruction, service and fellowship.

The total includes $62 million in research awards, the highest in the University’s history and a 23 percent increase over the previous record year.

“The University of Alabama is committed to exploring new technologies, advancing scientific discovery and being on the cutting edge of research and development,” said UA President Stuart R. Bell. “Because our professors are actively participating in research in their areas of expertise, our students are benefiting from their groundwork. We know research has far-reaching impact, and we are already seeing lives changed by what our students and professors are accomplishing through progressive research and innovation.”

Research awards have grown by 85 percent over the last five years, reflecting a strategic emphasis on increased productivity for research scholarship and creative activities that impact economic and societal development.

“This is the effort of the whole university, not an individual professor, department or college,” said Dr. John Higginbotham, UA’s interim vice president for research. “It’s a big step forward and a flash of what’s to come.”