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UC Irvine Receives Record $653 Million in Research Funding for Fiscal 2022-23 – 12.7% More than Previous Year

Oc visionaries stories 2023
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From cutting-edge research on Alzheimer’s disease to an innovative effort to include environmental just ice and community engagement in climate and sustainability science research and education, University of California, Irvine scholars, scientists and physicians are blazing new paths to help change the world. And the school’s impact keeps growing. In f iscal 2022-23, which ended June 30, UCI received the most research funding in campus history: $653 million in grants and contracts.

Awards from federal and state agencies, leading foundations and forward-thinking companies rose by 12.7% over the 2021-22 total of $580 million, reflecting strong support for UCI’s top-ranked faculty, first-rate facilities, diverse and talented student body, and community-based research programs.

“This research funding milestone confirms UCI’s increasing role as a world-class research university. The UCI community continues to make a meaningful impact on regional economic development and to improve society through globally prominent research,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman.

“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, UCI vice chancellor for research. “This outstanding and sustained growth indicates that UCI’s preeminent research enterprise will make even greater and more productive contributions to the state, the nation and the world.”

UCI investigators received 1,002 new awards, totaling nearly $380 million (58% of the entire campus amount, with the remainder coming from renewed funding sources) in fiscal 2022-23. 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 UCI, accounting for $226 million. The National Science Foundation provided $54 million. And grants and contracts from philanthropic foundations, charitable trusts and for-profit organizations reached $231 million. Overall, half of the research support came from nonfederal entities.

Promoting New Cures

Also continuing to increase was total financial backing for clinical research in all health science areas to advance new treatments for lifealtering diseases. In 2022-23, UCI received $150 million in grant and corporate funding from all sources for clinical trials, a 37% jump over the previous year. Within this amount, overall industry support for campus research topped $129 million. One thriving research area is UCI’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center - the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in Orange County. Its researchers brought in $106 million for basic, translational and clinical studies in fiscal 2022-23, 28% more than last year.

The following are clinical trials with top contracts:

With $6.8 million from Amgen, Dr. Deepa Jeyakumar, associate clinical professor of hematology/oncology, is undertaking a Phase 3 study of an immunotherapy treatment for older adults with lymphoblastic leukemia. With $5 million from Revolution Medicines Inc., Dr. Sai-Hong Ou, clinical professor of hematology/ oncology, is leading UCI Health’s participation in a Phase 1/1b clinical trial to find the highest dose of the investigational drug RMC-6291 that can be given safely to people with advanced solid tumors.

“As the region’s only academic health system, we are able to provide unequaled patient care backed by groundbreaking research for new cures, therapies and prevention,” said Dr. Steve Goldstein, vice chancellor for health affairs. “Year-over- year growth in external funding underscores how we are leading the way through world-changing discoveries while training the diverse, interprofessional healthcare workforce of the future.”

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