by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Research funding from outside sources skyrocketed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the last fiscal year, according to records from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
Giovanni Molinari, a doctoral student in zoology, works in the laboratory of Karolina Kwasek, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences at SIU. The lab is working on ways to use the invasive species Asian carp as food for aquaculture operations. It is one of many research projects funded by external grants. (Photo by Russell Bailey)
Faculty members received $95.7 million in research, training and service grants during fiscal year 2023 – a more than 20% increase over the previous fiscal year, said Costas Tsatsoulis, vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school at SIU Carbondale.
“Our faculty, staff and students continue to elevate SIU Carbondale’s research and to set new external funding records,” Tsatsoulis said. “As part of our Imagine 2030 strategic plan, our faculty have aggressively pursued external funding and have written large, increasingly successful proposals for such funding.”
Research projects ranged from controlling invasive species and wildlife disease surveillance to human health, high-tech communications and environmental issues.
For FY 2023, which ended June 30, faculty on the Carbondale campus received $67.3 million, while faculty in the School of Medicine in Springfield received $28.4 million.
Federal grant funding totaled more than $28.7 million, with most of it coming from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Education.
Funding from the State of Illinois came in at more than $44.4 million. Most of that came from Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Faculty throughout the SIU System also received almost $3.8 million from private industry grants.
Data from SIU Carbondale’s Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA), which submits grant proposals on behalf of the university, accept awards and ensures compliance, indicated external grant and contract expenditures for FY 2023 totaled almost $73.9 million, including more than $51.5 million in Carbondale and almost $22.4 million in Springfield. This pushed total expenditures up by 24% compared to FY 2022, which totaled almost $59.6 million ($42.4 million in Carbondale and almost $17.8 million in Springfield).
More detailed information regarding external proposals, awards and expenditures can be found under the “reports” heading on the OSPA website.
Research at SIU Carbondale is incredibly diverse and of the highest quality, Tsatsoulis said.
“The vision and track record of our researchers has led to funding efforts that span all areas of SIU Carbondale, including among others education, engineering, the arts, the sciences, the humanities, medicine, law and business,” he said.