Originally posted on UCI News.

University of California, Irvine scholars, scientists and physicians continue to blaze new paths to help improve the world. In fiscal 2023-24, which ended June 30, UC Irvine received the most research funding in campus history: $668 million in grants and contracts.

Awards from federal and state agencies, leading foundations and forward-thinking companies rose by more than 2 percent over the 2022-23 total of $653 million, reflecting continued strong support for UC Irvine’s top-ranked faculty, first-rate facilities, diverse and talented student body, and community-based research programs. Research grants and contracts from federal agencies grew by more than 10 percent and exceeded $361 million.

“This research funding milestone confirms UC Irvine’s increasing role as a world-class research university. Our faculty, students and staff are truly excelling in an environment of tremendous national competition for financial support of research and innovation,” said Pramod Khargonekar, vice chancellor for research. “This outstanding and sustained growth indicates that UC Irvine’s preeminent research enterprise will make even greater and more productive contributions to the state, the nation and the world.”

UC Irvine investigators received 1,034 new awards, totaling $311 million (45 percent of the entire campus amount, with the remainder coming from renewed and continuing funding sources), in fiscal 2023-24. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which encompasses the National Institutes of Health, was the largest single source of research funding at UC Irvine, accounting for nearly $248 million. The National Science Foundation provided $57 million. And grants and contracts from nonprofit groups like philanthropic foundations, charitable trusts and for-profit organizations reached more than $252 million.

Once again, the School of Medicine reaped the most grant and contract funding, with $291 million. Following with $69 million was the Office of Research – which oversees organized research units and certain campus centers and institutes – with the School of Physical Sciences and The Henry Samueli School of Engineering each receiving $59 million.

Nearly $455 million went to support basic research and almost $143 million to fund clinical trials for lifesaving cures and treatments.

Other noteworthy new research awards and recipients at UC Irvine in fiscal 2023-24 were:

• The National Institutes of Health granted $4 million to UC Irvine to fund the first year of a Southern California-based consortium for the nationwide All of Us research program. Hoda Anton-Culver, a Donald Bren Professor and Distinguished Professor of medicine, will lead theconsortium. All of Us is a major NIH initiative to gather health data from 1 million or more people to build one of the most diverse health databases in history. This would accelerate precision medicine research and improve health by considering individual differences in lifestyle, environment and biology.
• A study on invasive malaria vectors and urban malaria in Africa was awarded up to $4.3 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Guiyun Yan, professor of population health and disease prevention, will lead a consortium of institutions from the U.S. and Ethiopia in studying the biology of invasive An. stephensi in Ethiopia, developing new surveillance tools and methods to track vector spread, and identifying cost-effective vector control techniques for urban settings.
• The Air Force Office of Scientific Research awarded a UC Irvine materials science team $4 million for a three-year project to perfect the use of microscopic life-forms in the extraction of rare earth elements and as productive components in additive manufacturing systems. The group, led by principal investigator David Kisailus, professor of materials science and engineering, is looking for ways to employ microbes as miners in extreme conditions in remote environments, including the moon, Mars and asteroids.
• The National Science Foundation granted $15 million to the Center for Integrative Movement Sciences. This six-year funding, part of the NSF’s Biology Integration Institutes program, will support groundbreaking research led by director Monica Daley, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
• NASA awarded a $2.8 million grant to UC Irvine researchers for a five-year project to survey Antarctica’s ice sheet. Led by Eric Rignot, professor of Earth system science, the newly funded endeavor aims to provide the most detailed record yet of the condition of glaciers on the vast southern continent.
• Three UC Irvine researchers will receive $8.7 million in climate action grants to support projects that will help advance progress toward California’s climate goals. These projects are the result of a historic partnership between the state of California and the University of California to spur the implementation of solutions that directly address state climate priorities.
• A grant of more than $500,000 from the Cyrus Tang Foundation will allow UC Irvine researchers – led by Water UCI director David Feldman, professor of urban planning and public policy – and two universities in China to create a handbook of best practices for mitigating water pollutants that pose serious risks to human health and environmental quality.