September 8, 2020
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University College of Medicine received more than $300 million in grants and contracts during the 2020 fiscal year, setting a new record in research funding.
Total research awards increased about 10%, from $271.8 million in the 2019 fiscal year to $300.9 million in fiscal year 2020. The growth in research funding is due to innovative investigative projects, the growth of existing strategic areas, the recruitment of prominent new faculty, new relationships with industry partners and increased collaboration among the health sciences colleges at Ohio State and other academic health centers.
“As the third largest university in the country, with both a major health system and seven health sciences colleges, Ohio State is able to leverage the brightest minds to foster the development of cutting-edge medical technologies and procedures to save lives,” said Dr. Hal Paz, executive vice president and chancellor for Health Affairs at The Ohio State University and CEO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Our faculty, staff and trainees are focused on accelerating the pace of discovery to quickly translate research findings into treatments and prevention.”
In fiscal year 2020, Ohio State College of Medicine received $176.3 million in grants, contracts and subcontracts from the National Institutes of Health. The remaining funding came from other government agencies, non-profit foundations and industry contracts.
Awards include a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to fund research studying how to avoid disasters when humans control complex machines, such as automobiles, airplanes and ships as well as a $5.5 million grant from the American Heart Association to study the health effects of e-cigarettes and nicotine on youth and help develop vaping cessation programs as part of its ENACT: End Nicotine Addiction in Children and Teens research initiative.
“We have a strategic focus on fostering multidisciplinary teams of physicians and scientists to increase translational research – meaning that we want our discoveries to have a direct impact on human health,” said Peter Mohler, chief scientific officer at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, vice dean of Research at Ohio State University College of Medicine and director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Institute. “This year we have really moved forward areas in neuroscience, cardiopulmonary, cancer, immunology and infectious disease. Our advancements in biomedical science and research enabled us to be a national resource for COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment.”
Ohio State had 64 awards over $1 million. In all, there were 2,280 awards, nearly a 6% increase from fiscal year 2019.
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Media Contact: Serena Smith, Wexner Medical Center Media Relations, 614-293-3737, Serena.Smith@osumc.edu