AMES, Iowa – External funding at Iowa State University increased to $368.4 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30. That’s a 12.9 percent increase from the previous year’s total of $326.4 million, and the second-highest total for the university.
“As we anticipated, external funding has rebounded well from last year’s federal budget sequester impact,” said Iowa State University President Steven Leath. “We are especially pleased that funding from federal sources was up substantially, by 21.6 percent over last year’s federal total.”
External funding includes grants, contracts, gifts and cooperative agreements from federal, state and local government sources and from corporations, foundations and other universities.
These funds support Iowa State researchers, students (including student financial aid), education programs, equipment purchases, buildings and extension activities. The funding is in addition to state appropriations, which support daily operations of the university. The increase in FY 2014 returns the university to a long-term upward trend, taking into account the federal budget anomalies of the sequestration last year and the federal stimulus in FY 2010. Funding that year remains the highest external funding ever at Iowa State.
“Iowa State’s faculty and researchers have remained very competitive,” said Sarah Nusser, vice president for research. “Because our research is well aligned with national and state priorities, as well as with industry and other funding organizations, we saw real growth in 2014.”
Top sources of funding
The U.S. Department of Energy was the single largest source of federal agency funding in FY 2014, at $59.7 million. The second-highest source was the U.S. Department of Agriculture at $58 million, and the third-highest was the National Science Foundation at $31.6 million.
Funding from federal agencies totaled $210.1 million, up from $172.7 million the previous fiscal year. Non-federal funding, which includes state and local government, businesses and corporations, foundations, and universities and colleges, totaled $158.3 million, up from $153.7 million the previous fiscal year.
