By Madelin Shelton —
The University of Louisville recently announced a record-breaking $201.5 million in research funding for the 2021 fiscal year.
Kevin Gardner, U of L’s Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation, partly credited this accomplishment to U of L’s blooming status as a research university in the last several years. “We set a record last year that was $170 million in new awards in fiscal year ’20,” he said. That means that between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, U of L increased its research funding by $30 million.
University research includes environmental health science, engineering, climate change, liver cancer and COVID-19.
When asked if he thought any areas of U of L research were particularly notable, Gardner said there were so many that he couldn’t choose. However, he noted how U of L’s exceptional research capabilities are contributing to its strategic goals and addressing its identified grand challenges.
The three grand challenges include empowering our communities, advancing health and engineering our future economy. Gardner said U of L has research initiatives in various disciplines tackling these issues.
Gardner also discussed what the record-breaking year signifies about U of L’s role as a research university. “The thing that makes the University of Louisville unique as a research university is that we’re one of only 69 universities that are classified as Carnegie R1 and as a Carnegie Community Engaged university.”
Carnegie R1 refers to the ranking given to universities across America that are classified as having very high research activity. A Carnegie Community Engaged university is seen as contributing to its community in meaningful ways.
“What sets the University of Louisville apart is that we don’t just do research and write a paper and have it sit on the shelf or in an academic journal. We translate that research into practice,” Gardner said. “We’re committed to seeing this research get out into the world to have a positive impact.”
Photo Courtesy // U of L News
