Pratt sees increase in research funds

Funding for engineering research at Duke is rising, thanks to an increasingly productive faculty.

The Pratt School of Engineering received $94 million in outside research grants purposed in the 2010-2011 academic year, an increase of more than $20 million from the previous year, said George Truskey, senior associate dean for research and chair of the biomedical engineering department. Pratt’s research funding has been rising consistently in the past decade, he said, attributing the rise to increased efforts from the faculty members to obtain grants.

“The overall quality of the faculty has been improving,” Truskey said. “Both the new faculty and the faculty that have been here have been successful in obtaining grants.”

In the 2010-2011 academic year, Pratt reported a total of $94 million in outside research funding and subawards, with $2 million to go toward partnerships with other universities. The school received a total of $70 million in the 2009-2010 academic year, said Sharon Schulze, associate dean for research development. Of the federal, state and private grant money, $6 million will be used for collaboration with other universities.

Faculty, graduate students and other researchers receive funding from the federal and state governments and from the private sector, which includes corporations and foundations. In addition, researchers apply for funding from research centers in extremely competitive selection processes, Truskey said.

“We have very talented faculty who are willing to put forth the extra effort to write proposals for these large grants,” Schulze said.

In addition, faculty members receive support from the Office of the Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering and other University offices.

“These center awards are all faculty driven,” Truskey said. “Sometimes we can make faculty aware of some funding opportunities, but they’re generally well connected themselves.”

“A lot of people focus primarily on the money, but it’s more important that the money is an enabler that allows faculty to do the work they need to do,” Truskey said.

Although the engineering school has historically been receiving an increase in research funding, administrators are unsure how residual effects of the 2008 economic downturn and the current state of the federal deficit will affect future levels of funding.

“The external research environment is changing pretty significantly,” Truskey said. “We anticipate the rate of growth will slow because the amount of money available is shrinking. We need to make sure that faculty are aware of the opportunities and provide them with the environment to ensure that our faculty will remain competitive.”

Schulze said the engineering faculty will likely ensure that Pratt’s research funding continues to increase, even if it is at a slower rate than this past year.

“We have gone through some years with significant cuts, and Pratt has still grown,” she said. “The fact that Pratt has continued to grow [during a recession] is a result of the quality of the faculty.”

Correction: The Pratt School of Engineering received a total of $94 million in research funds in 2010-2011. This is up from the $70 million it received in 2009-2010. A previous version of this article stated otherwise. The Chronicle regrets the error.