Media Contact:
Julie Kiefer
Director, Research Communications, University of Utah Health
Email: Julie.Kiefer@hsc.utah.edu
University of Utah Health approached a half-billion dollars ($492.3 million) in research funding in fiscal year 2024, which ended on June 30. This amount accounts for 71% of the University of Utah’s overall research funding, totaling $691 million in the same period. 736 principal investigators in the health sciences received 1,876 awards.
For 13 years, research in the health sciences has seen major growth, expanding 30% over the past five years and more than doubling since FY11.
The largest funder of research across U of U Health is the National Institutes of Health with awards totaling $232.7 million. Funding from industry partners was the second largest source reaching $85.2 million. Other federal agencies—including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Defense—provided $78.2 million. Support from other organizations, including the state, other universities, and foundations, came to $96.3 million.
In addition to agency-funded grants and awards, investments from philanthropic donors lift new ideas and emerging innovations off the ground so they can become eligible for these traditional sources of funding.
"There is incredible, world-class research happening across U of U Health ranging from innovating novel disease treatments to advancing clinical care to ensuring that people in our own communities can access the health services they need," said Rachel Hess, MD, MS, associate vice president for research at U of U Health.
"National and local organizations invest in our researchers because they are working to improve lives in Utah and beyond.”
Research awards are advancing U of U Health-led projects that are addressing some of society’s most pressing needs. They include:
- Forecasting Outbreaks: Armed with lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, U of U Health researchers are leading efforts to provide data and tools that guide decisions to improve responses to emerging infectious disease outbreaks in Utah and three other Mountain West states.
- Finding New Solutions for Seizures: Since 1975, the Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program has been a national resource testing and identifying antiseizure drugs for people who are unresponsive to currently available medications.
- Identifying HIV Insights: An understanding of how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, infects cells, is laying the foundation for a new class of highly effective, long-lasting drugs developed by Gilead that have been shown to prevent HIV transmission in large phase 3 clinical trials.
- Caring for Caregivers: There is a growing need for providing caregiving to loved ones, and this unpaid work often comes at the expense of caregivers’ health. To improve their outlook, the Family Caregiving Collaborative is developing new approaches that support caregiver health and well-being.
- Beating Back Pain: U of U Health researchers have helped establish best practices for treating back pain with physical therapy. As part of the BeatPain Utah project, they have launched a telehealth service to ensure that people living in rural or medically underserved communities can access evidence-based care and benefit from treatment.
“As the state’s flagship university, we strive to tackle critical research needs and solutions that benefit Utahns and communities across the state,” said Erin Rothwell, PhD, vice president for research at the University of Utah, in a press statement.
University of Utah Health provides leading-edge and compassionate care for a referral area that encompasses Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and much of Nevada. A hub for health sciences research and education in the region, U of U Health has a $522 million research enterprise and trains the majority of Utah’s physicians, and more than 1,670 scientists and 1,460 health care providers at its Colleges of Health, Nursing, and Pharmacy and Schools of Dentistry and Medicine. With more than 20,000 employees, the system includes 12 community clinics and five hospitals. U of U Health is recognized nationally as a transformative health care system and provider of world-class care.