UC San Francisco’s four professional schools topped the nation in federal research funding in 2013, with the University as a whole ranking first among public recipients and second overall in funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to annual NIH figures.
These highly competitive funds – more than $517 million in total through contracts and grants – reflect the quality of the research on campus and enable UCSF scientists to continue their pioneering efforts to understand the underlying causes of such diseases as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and to work to develop improved therapies for them.
"NIH funding is the lifeblood of biomedical research in this nation and enables us, collectively, to tackle the most urgent questions in health and medicine," said UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH. "It is a testament to the excellence of our faculty to have all four of our professional schools and many of our research departments lead their fields in these competitive grants."
The UCSF School of Medicine received the most funding of any school in the nation for the second year in a row, at $439.6 million for fiscal year 2013, to support research, training and fellowships.
The UCSF schools of Pharmacy and of Dentistry ranked first in their fields in NIH grants for 2013: Pharmacy for the 34th consecutive year, with $29.2 million; and Dentistry for the 22nd year, with $13.7 million. The UCSF School of Nursing also regained its lead after briefly ranking second last year, with $9.6 million in grants in 2013.
All told, UCSF received more than $501.6 million total in grants, with an additional $15.5 million in NIH contracts, for which UCSF scientists compete to perform specific research projects for the national institutes.
"UCSF is on the cutting edge of innovation, medicine, and scientific progress – a key reason why San Francisco always leads the way," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "The work of UCSF represents the best use of federal investments: to advance scientific discovery, to expand biomedical research, to lay the foundations for new industries, and to ensure the breakthroughs of tomorrow are made right here in the United States."