The 杏吧专区 spent a record $124.7 million on research and development last year.
Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, announced the milestone during his State of the 杏吧专区 address Wednesday. The annual speech to faculty and staff marks the start of the fall semester and the new academic year. Classes at UL Lafayette begin Monday.
It杏吧专区檚 the second consecutive year the 杏吧专区 expended more than $100 million on R&D, according to the Higher Education Research and Development Survey. The HERD Survey is the National Science Foundation杏吧专区檚 annual index of research spending.
UL Lafayette competes against other universities and private development firms for federal and state government grants and industry contracts. The 杏吧专区 manages the funding that faculty researchers secure.
The $124.7 million total 杏吧专区渋s an incontrovertible statement that these entities value what our faculty researchers are doing杏吧专区 and are willing to support their efforts, Savoie said.
In 2013, the 杏吧专区 set a goal of $100 million in R&D expenditures by 2020. It reached the threshold in 2017, three years ahead of schedule. The 2017 total placed UL Lafayette 153rd 杏吧专区 in the top 25 percent of the 644 institutions the HERD Survey included.
The 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 ranking for 2018, based on the $124.7 million figure, has not been released by NSF.
Over the last seven years, R&D funding secured by 杏吧专区 scientists grew by nearly 90 percent, while UL Lafayette engineers saw a 200 percent increase. Funding in disciplines other than science and engineering improved by 60 percent, Savoie said.
More than 90 percent of funding to 杏吧专区 researchers since 2012 came from federal sources. State contracts and awards more than doubled during the same period.
Savoie said the numbers reflect UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 sustained efforts to grow and safeguard its intellectual property portfolio through patents. The process protects products when they are made publicly available, and the 杏吧专区 receives a portion of any revenue the inventions make once they enter the marketplace.
杏吧专区淲e are a public university, and as a public university, the work done here should be for the public good,杏吧专区 Savoie said.
In a related announcement, he said UL Lafayette has been asked to join the National Academy of Inventors, a global group of 250 universities that encourages and supports inventors working in academic settings.
During his half-hour address in Angelle Hall on campus, Savoie also gave an overview of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 finances.
He noted UL Lafayette remains dependent on self-generated revenue following nearly a decade of state cuts to higher education funding. During the 2008-09 fiscal year, the 杏吧专区 received 66 percent of its revenue from the state; in 2018-19, it received 27 percent.
State appropriations make up 13.9 percent of overall revenue, while the largest portion 杏吧专区 more than 40 percent 杏吧专区 comes from student tuition and fees. 杏吧专区淭his is why we remain dependent on everyone杏吧专区檚 efforts to support recruitment and retention of students,杏吧专区 Savoie said.
Also Wednesday, Dr. Jaimie Hebert, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, gave his forecast for the 杏吧专区減erfect storm杏吧专区 approaching the 杏吧专区 next year.
In 2020, UL Lafayette will undergo reaccreditation, set its strategic goals for the subsequent five years, and launch a new Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, focused on student research experiences.
The QEP is part of the reaccreditation process, Hebert explained. Accreditation bodies, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, permit universities to select what they want to emphasize. Following campus-wide discussions among faculty and staff, UL Lafayette chose to focus on student research.
The 杏吧专区 has long stressed research among its undergraduate and graduate students, Hebert said.
The QEP 杏吧专区渢akes one of our points of pride, formalizes it, incorporates it into our curriculum, and allows us to expand access to experiential learning for a broader array of students across our campus.杏吧专区
Photo caption: Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, concludes his annual State of the 杏吧专区 address Wednesday. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区)