The University of California, Davis, received a record $543,983,761 in research funds in the recently completed 2005-06 fiscal year. That figure represents a more than $38 million increase over the previous year's figure, which was itself a record $505 million.

"Growth in our sponsored research programs continues across a wide range of campus disciplines. These statistics are a tribute to our community of scholars, especially since many of our research efforts and growth areas focus on addressing world challenges and improving the quality of life for people," said Barry Klein, vice chancellor for research at UC Davis.

The total includes research projects in fundamental sciences, clinical trials and applied research, training and education projects as well as public service projects. The figures include all grants and contracts awarded to UC Davis by external sponsors, including "indirect" funds that support research infrastructure, but not internal awards or philanthropic gifts.

The grants and awards funded cover the wide range of research at UC Davis, from physics and chemistry, biology and environmental sciences, to humanities and social sciences. They include $896,000 from the first round of funds awarded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state's body for funding work on stem cells. That money is the first installment of a grant to Frederick Meyers, professor of medicine, to train young researchers.

Some other recent examples are $1.25 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Jorge Dubcovsky, Department of Plant Sciences, for work on applied genomics in wheat; $92,000 from UC Berkeley to Patricia Gandara, School of Education, for studies on school reform; $1.4 million from the National Institutes of Health to Katherine Ferrara, Biomedical Engineering, for research on ultrasound imaging and drug delivery to tumors; and $299,000 to Gregory Pasternack, John Muir Institute of the Environment, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for studies on the Lower Yuba River.

The largest single sponsor of research at UC Davis was the federal government, contributing almost $298 million. The bulk of those funds, $170 million, were awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Institutes of Health. Other federal departments and agencies that sponsored research programs were the National Science Foundation ($49 million), U.S. Department of Agriculture ($27 million), the Department of Energy ($17 million), the departments of Defense ($13 million), Interior ($6.5 million) and Education ($4.2 million), and NASA ($2 million).

The state of California provided $84 million, about the same as last year. Funding from other state, city and county governments totaled $32 million, an increase of $6 million over the previous year.

Almost a quarter of the funds awarded to the campus -- $136 million -- went to the School of Medicine. Next were the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, $119 million; the School of Veterinary Medicine, $80 million; College of Engineering, $52 million; College of Biological Sciences, $46 million; and the Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences within the College of Letters and Science, $21 million. The divisions of Social Sciences and of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, received $8 million and $1.7 million, respectively.

Organized research units reporting to the Office of Research, such as the Bodega Marine Laboratory, the John Muir Institute of the Environment and the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, received $46 million. The provost's office received $23 million, mostly in funding for University Extension.

Funding of research on campus brings long-term benefits to the economy, Klein said.

"Many of our research projects are transitioning to the public good through new startup companies, as well as partnerships with industry, other universities and laboratories, with the goal of ensuring that the knowledge we generate will have a positive impact on society as quickly as possible," he said.

The figures presented here were calculated on the basis of dollars transferred to the university during fiscal year 2005-6. Some funding agencies provide funds in annual increments, in which case funds are counted in the year received. If the funding agency provided all the money up front, that would be counted in the first year of the grant but not in subsequent years.