Research funding grows in 2016-17
Binghamton University reported $39.8 million in research funding for the 2016-17 fiscal year, an increase of 8.4 percent from the previous year. The figure is very close to the campus’ all-time best year for research funding, just over $40 million in 2011-12.
“Our goal continues to be supporting faculty from across the University to pursue projects that they find meaningful and that we hope will benefit society at large,” says Paul Parker, associate vice president for research administration and officer in charge. “We have our eyes on a goal of $50 million in sponsored activity by 2020, and this year represents good progress toward that milestone.”
The National Science Foundation is the single largest supporter of Binghamton research, accounting for nearly 18 percent of expenditures in 2016-17. More than 9 percent of Binghamton research funding came from industry partnerships, a key strength of the University.
The Northeast Center for Chemical Energy Storage (NECCES), an Energy Frontier Research Center led by chemist M. Stanley Whittingham and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, was the single largest recipient of external support for research last year.
Research applications reached a five-year high in 2016-17, as Binghamton faculty members pursued more than $223 million in funding. Committed funds, an important leading indicator of research activity, reached $53.6 million in 2016-17, an increase of 14 percent from the previous year.
“That activity is an important sign that our faculty members are prioritizing research,” says Lisa Gilroy, assistant vice president for research. “We’re seeing more researchers working in groups and collaborating across disciplines to go after significant funding together, too.”