UC Davis research funding hit a record of $426.3 million in 2002-03, an increase of $69 million (almost 20 percent) over the previous year, and the tenth consecutive year that totals have risen. The campus now earns more than two-and-a-half times the research funding it received in 1993-4.

"The large increase in research funding is a tribute to the excellence of the UC Davis research community and the focus of our research efforts on projects of importance to the nation's needs," said Vice Chancellor for Research Barry Klein.

The university ranks third in non-federally financed research expenditure and 15th in overall research expenditure among public and private universities, according to the National Science Foundation.

More than half of the funds ($233 million, 54.6 percent) came as research awards from the federal government. Of that, $124 million, over a quarter of all extramural research funds received by the university and representing 447 grant awards, came from the Department of Health and Human Services, principally through the National Institutes of Health.

The National Science Foundation was the next largest source of federal funds, awarding $38 million in 265 grants. Other federal agencies funding new or ongoing research at UC Davis included the U.S. departments of Agriculture ($21 million), Energy ($17 million), Interior ($11 million), Defense ($8 million), Transportation ($3 million) and State ($3 million).

Other major sources were the state of California ($78 million, 18.3 percent), other governments ($22.3 million, 5.2 percent); other institutions of higher education ($21.7 million, 5.1 percent); other UC campuses and the Office of the President ($19.3 million, 4.5 percent); businesses ($18 million, 4.2 percent); and charitable organizations ($13.3 million, 3.1 percent). University researchers also received money from organizations such as agricultural marketing boards, private foundations and interest groups, and U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories managed by UC.

The increase was partly driven by an increase in faculty recruitment. In 2002-03 there were 1,388 tenure track faculty at UC Davis with an average of $307,132 in research funding per full-time position, up from 1,167 with $305,912 each in 2001-02.

The School of Medicine was the largest recipient of research funds, with 623 awards totaling $123 million, up from $100 million last year. It was closely followed by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences with $90 million, an increase of $10 million from 2001-02.

The School of Veterinary Medicine collected almost $48 million and the Office of Research, representing organized research units such as the UC Davis Cancer Center and the Bodega Marine Laboratory, $44 million. Researchers in the College of Engineering received $43 million in awards while the Division of Biological Sciences raked in $37 million, up by almost 50 percent from the previous year. The College of Letters and Science received $22 million. The remaining funds went to the Division of Graduate Studies, the School of Law and the Graduate School of Management.