FIU RESEARCH The 2009-2010 fiscal year represented a milestone in the long-term upward trajectory of research growth at FIU. During that 12-month period, FIU faculty obtained $100.5 million in total research awards. Not only does this represent a 13% increase from the previous fiscal year, it is also the first time FIU exceeded $100 million in research awards during a single fiscal year. Moreover, this increase in research awards comes on the heels of a 22% increase in research funding during the 2008-2009 fiscal year. This tremendous achievement reflects the truly “worlds ahead” commitment, effort and creativity of FIU’s faculty, students and staff. This accomplishDr. Andres Gil ment is made all the more remarkable by the challenging economic Vice President for Research and funding climate that we have all experienced during this period. The expansion of FIU’s research portfolio has significant benefits for the national visibility of the University, as well as well-being and economic vitality of our local communities. During the past two years, FIU faculty have been awarded several Major Research Instrumentation awards, which will enhance FIU’s existing research infrastructure and stimulate future research and creative activities. Faculty in the College of Engineering and Computing, as well as in the College of Arts and Sciences obtained several prestigious NSF CAREER awards. In addition, faculty from across the University successfully competed for large grants awards to support undergraduate and graduate student research and education from the NIH (e.g., RISE), the NSF (e.g., PIRE, CHEPREO), the United States Department of Education (e.g., Title V), and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (the Physics Education Program). Several new research awards have focused on the health and well-being of South Florida communities (e.g., substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention, child and adolescent mental health, family health, diabetes, etc.), as well as the environmental sustainability of South Florida and the world (e.g., Everglades restoration research, marine fisheries, water resources in Florida and the world, natural disaster preparedness in the U.S. and the Americas). Thus, the research programs of FIU faculty not only produce new knowledge, but they also have immediate and measureable social and economic impact to Florida, the nation and the world beyond. The impact of the FIU research enterprise is global in scope. FIU is entering a new phase of growth with regard to its portfolio of research and creative activities. The establishment of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine is clearly a visible indicator of this new phase in the history of FIU, but there are many other signs of the direction we are moving together. Our research faculty increasingly engage in cross-disciplinary investigations within and outside FIU, and collaborate with other major universities and research organizations throughout the world. FIU’s colleges are developing programs and structures that emphasize multidisciplinary efforts in basic, applied, and translational research. The economic challenges that face the nation, our state, and local communities have not abated, and the next several years will continue to be challenging for obtaining research funds. Nevertheless, I am extremely optimistic that FIU’s national visibility for both research and creative activities will continue to expand. The achievements of our faculty, in terms of their research awards, as well as the significance and impact of the basic and applied research they conduct will make increasingly important social and economic contributions to our state, the nation, and many global communities.
Annual Report 2009-2010