Future Directions for Research

Future Directions for Research

Steve Lommel

Assistant Vice Chancellor

for Research Research Retreat

2/23/06

University-Wide

Trends based on 05-06 Projections:

• Proposal count up 16.2% in 05-06

• Proposal count up 14.4% over 5-yr avg.

• Proposed $ up 6.7% in 05-06

• Proposed $ down 3.8% from 5-yr avg.

• Awards down 2.4% in 05-06

• Awards up 7.1% over 5-yr avg.

Proposal Count -- University-wide

2,8162,548

2,1312,387 2,423

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06

Proposed $ -- University-wide

$0

$100,000,000

$200,000,000

$300,000,000

$400,000,000

$500,000,000

$600,000,000

$700,000,000

$800,000,000

$900,000,000

01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06

$ Awarded -- University-wide

$0

$50,000,000

$100,000,000

$150,000,000

$200,000,000

$250,000,000

01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06

Federal/Non-Federal Support

Increased Federal Support in 04-05

Growing Teaching Loads

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Graduate Credit Hours

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Total Credit Hours

Tenured & tenure-track faculty levels stable:

1996 = 1484

2005 = 1473

*based on funds received.

Grant Getting Faculty*

Total tenured & tenure-track faculty = 1,473

Proposal Development Unit

• Created June 2004

• Mission:To increase research funding through support for faculty producing proposals for graduate fellowships and multidisciplinary research.

05-06 Proposals Submitted

• 7 full proposals (~$21M)

• Awaiting 6 decisions (~$18M)

• 1 preproposal and 4 full proposals (~$25) in progress.

PDU Successes ($9.7M)• $3.3M: NSF Alliances for Graduate Education

and the Professoriate (Shafer)• $600K: NIH Bridges to the Doctorate (Larick)• $5M: Golden LEAF Foundation: Institute for

Maintenance Science and Technology (Strenkowski)

• $400K: NIH Obesity Prevention (Moore)• $300K: NSF Ethics in Science & Engineering

(Comstock)• $100K: Progress Energy:UNC Portal (Lea)

Major NSF Solicitations in 06-07

• STC: Science and Technology Centers ($25M)

• ERC: Engineering Research Centers ($25M)• MRSEC: Materials Science and Engineering

Centers ($9M)• NSEC: Nanotechnology Science and

Engineering Centers ($20M)• SLC: Science of Learning Centers ($20M)• EFP: Emerging Frontiers Program ($20M)

Tough Odds

• High risk/high reward when seeking awards over $3M.

• Programs making awards over $15M typically make only 1-2 awards nationally/year.

What is Research Development?

• Identify University strengths and seek to fortify them.

• Leverage strengths across the campus to position NC State for large-scale funding for centers, institutes, and multidisciplinary programs.

• Identify large federal and industry funding opportunities that play to NC State strengths.

• Assist in facilitation of planning and development of proposals.

New Initiatives

• Institute for Nanoscience, Engineering and Technology

• Neutron Sciences Program

• Center for Systems Biology

• Center for Energy Science and Technology

• Others in development.

Institute for Nanoscience, Engineering & Technology

• Intent: Research, education, training, and industry integration as a base for nano-technology R&D and commercialization.

• Key foci: – Textiles– Medical devices and drug delivery– Nano analytical instrumentation– Energy conversion– Other technology areas germane to economic

development.


Centers within the Institute

• Physical and Biological Nanosystems Integration

• Nanomaterials for New Generations of Textiles• Integrated Nanoelectronics and Photonics• Nanotechnologies for Energy Conversion• Nano-to-macro Modeling and Design• Nanoscale Engineering and Manufacturing


• Facilities: – 110,000 useable ft2.of wet and dry labs, office and

conference space.– $35M of new, shared equipment– Unique, flexible nanomanufacturing research

capability– Prototyping capability to accelerate tech transfer

• New Endowed Chairs: 6• Faculty Positions: 6

Center for Energy Science & Technology

• Intent: Leadership in research, education, and outreach for new and emerging alternative energy technologies and industries.

• Key foci: – Materials and devices for energy technology

(e.g., solar energy conversion, thermal energy conversion, and fuel cell materials and devices)

– Chemical processes and environmental impact

(e.g., clean fuels, CO2 reaction and conversion, biomass technologies, hydrogen generation, nanotechnologies, health and global climate impacts)


Grand Challenges to be Addressed• New technologies for efficient and clean use

of traditional energy sources.• The search for alternative environmentally

safe and renewable energy sources.• A systematic understanding of the interplay

between energy technologies and their environmental impact.


• Facilities: – 20,000 ft2. of labs and clean rooms– $4M in equipment

• New Faculty Positions: 4

Neutron Sciences Program• Intent: Establish a world-class research

and teaching program focused on neutron sciences.

• Key foci: – Nuclear and particle physics– Fundamental symmetries– Astrophysics and cosmology– Fundamental constants, gravitation and quantum

mechanics– Origins of matter/antimatter and Big Bang

Nucleosynthesis

Neutron Sciences Program• Unique positioning:

– $1.4B Spallation Neutron Source soon at ORNL– NC State engineers and physicists: strongest

ultracold neutron research group in the world.– NC State’s science, engineering and technology

strengths in materials sciences, magnetic materials, amorphous materials, polymers and complex fluids, physics, structural chemistry and biology.

– NC State’s PULSTAR reactor—largest university-based reactor in Southeast.

Neutron Sciences Program

• Benefits:– New biotechnology and pharmaceutical

products– Next generation workforce for nuclear

industry– Start-up companies – Commercialization through existing major

companies

Neutron Sciences Program

• Facilities:– PULSTAR beamport area space expansion

($1M)– PULSTAR power upgrade ($2M)– Eventual space in a new Physical Sciences

Research Building


Center for Systems Biology• Intent:

– Serve as a focal point for integrated life systems research in NC

– Offer new Systems Biology teaching programs for 21st century

• Systems Biology Defined: – Study of all elements in a biological system and their

relationships to one another.– Science of measuring and integrating genetic,

genomic, biochemical, cellular and physiological to create a global network for predictively modeling biological events.

Center for Systems Biology

• Why Systems Biology?– Genetic, biochemical and metabolic dosorders in

humans, animals and plants result from complex molecular interactions.

– Diseases cannot be explained by an alteration in a single gene, protein or metabolite.

– Systems biology integrates all biological and physiological measurements in healthy vs diseased states.

– Allows more efficient and effective design of therapeutics


• NC State Strengths:– Broad expertise in human, animal and crop/plant

disease.– Well respected veterinary school– Noted leaders in virology, structural biology,

infectious disease, neurodegenerative disease, cancer, plant pathology, horticulture, and aquatics.

– Highly respected bioinformatics, biomathematics, statistics and biomedical engineering programs

– 30 researchers in proteomics and metabolomics.


• Facilities:– 20,000 sq. ft. of office and lab space– Limited animal facilities– $15M in shared equipment and lab

infrastructure


• New Staff and Technician Positions: 17

Bush Budget 2007 Request

• American Competitiveness Initiative High Priority Areas:– Applied Energy Research (nuclear,

hydrogen, oil alternatives)– Physical Sciences Research (neutron

sciences, advanced materials, advanced computing)

– Biodefense– K-12 Science and Math Education

Bush Budget 2007 Request

• Biggest Winners: NSF, DOE, DED, USDA, DARPA, DHS biodefense

• Biggest Losers: NIH, EPA, NOAA, NIST, NASA, DOD basic research

2007 U. S. Budget Request Highlights

(in $ Millions)2007 U. S. Budget Highlights (in $ Millions)

2,0062007

Request%

changeNIH 28,587 28,587 0.0% NSF 5,579 6,032 7.9%

Research 4,331 4,665 7.7% Education 796 816 2.5%

NASA 16,623 16,792 1.0% Science 5,254 5,330 1.5% Exploration 3,050 3,978 30.0%

DOD basic research 1,470 1,422 -3.3% DARPA basic research 133 151 13.0%

Source: White House OMB and Individual Agencies, Science 10 February 2006.

2007 U. S. Budget Highlights (in $ Millions)

2,0062007

Request%

changeDOE Office of Science 3,596 4,102 14.0%

High-energy physics 721 775 8.0%

Basic-energy sciences 1,135 1,421 25.0%

Nuclear Physics 367 454 24.0%

Advanced (Nuclear) fuel cycle 79 243 208.0%

DOCNOAA oceanic and atmospheric research370 338 9.0%

NIST science and technology research 568 535 5.8%

EPA R&D 563 528 6.2%

USGS 971 948 2.7%


2007 U. S. Budget Highlights

(in $ Millions)2,006

2007 Request

% change

USDA competitive research 181 248 37.0%

Multiagency InitiativesNetworking and IAT 3,017 3,089 2.4%

Nanotechnology 1,299 1,278 -2.0%

Climate change science 1,713 1,717 20.0%

Total Security 73,730 75,742 3.0%

Total Civilian 60,051 61,562 2.3%

Total R&D* 133,781 137,204 2.6%


NSF Budget Changes

• Biological Sciences +$31M• Computer & Info Science & Engineering +$30M• Engineering +$48M• Geosciences +$42M• Math & Physical Sciences +$65M• Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences +$14M• Cyberinfrastructure +$55M• International Science & Engineering +$6M• Polar Programs +$49M• Integrative Activities -$6M• Education & Human Resources +$20M

Conclusions

• We’re doing well, but we need to do better to reach the goal of increasing funding by 10% per year.

• We need to encourage and support more faculty in seeking and getting large grants.

• There are some very strong ideas for capitalizing on NC State strengths to take advantage of large-scale funding opportunities.

• There is some hope that federal funding will increase sharply in some of NC State’s strongest areas.

Documents

Future Directions for Research