Understanding the True Value of Academic Research
Research is more than an area of focus at University of Utah Health. It’s part of what defines us as an academic health center with societal impact.
To understand the true value of research, we need to know what it is and how it is funded.
Research fills critical knowledge gaps in medical science. It leads to new treatments and technologies that improve public health. It also supports jobs, fuels innovation and entrepreneurship, and provides training for tomorrow’s scientists.
Sustaining Our Research Mission
The Office of the Associate Vice President for Research, Health Sciences oversees research strategy and provides operational infrastructure for scientists across U of U Health. This includes helping to recruit faculty, build research programs that fuel cross-disciplinary collaboration, and write major grants.
The entities that fund academic research entrust our experts to carry out the important work that improves health and quality of life. Last year alone, the University of Utah received more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in research grants. Our research benefits from three major sources of funding:
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Federal funding
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Private industry
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Foundations and associations (nonprofit grants)
Federal Funding
Two-thirds of research funding at U of U Health comes from the federal government. The biggest source is the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among others.
While always highly competitive, federal grants have become harder to win over time. In 1970, the success rate for NIH funding for research projects was 34%. Today, it is just 22%.
Federal grants are awarded to support specific goals:
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Research and development: For materials and personnel to support academic research.
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Training and career development: Critical for supporting new generations of researchers.
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Construction and modernization: Helps to improve facilities and capabilities (very limited).
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Small business grants: Helps bring new technology to market.
Federal grants have the added benefit of including funding for facilities and administration (F&A). For research grants, academic research institutions negotiate their own F&A rates with the federal government. For every dollar of federal funding granted to the U for research projects, the NIH grants up to $0.54 to F&A.
The Office of the Vice President for Research at the U closely monitors how this money is used and holds open town hall meetings to maintain transparency about F&A spending.
F&A funding is critical. It pays for utilities and covers administrative costs like compliance offices and supporting departments. However, this additional F&A is still not enough to cover everything.
Ultimately, all funded research should have positive societal outcomes. For example, in September, the CDC granted $5 million to launch the Mountain West Prevention Research Center based at U of U Health. The center seeks solutions for childhood obesity. CDC funding enables collaborations with local organizations to benefit children across the Mountain West.
Private Industry Funding
Private industry often partners with academic research institutions to fund research and development, run clinical trials, or test new treatments and devices.
A recent example of this is a study led by U of U Health researchers with funding from the NIH and Calico Laboratories. It sheds light on how human cells adapt to moment-to-moment changes in the body. A new biotech company came from this study. Atavistik Bio applies this new understanding of how cells change their own pathways and proteins to enhance drug discovery for metabolic diseases and various cancers.
Nonprofit Funding
Grants from nonprofits like the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association are typically smaller than federal or private industry grants. They also don’t come with the same contribution to facilities and administration as federal grants. But they are still crucial to supporting our research mission.
For example, a $1.5 million grant from the Keck Foundation will allow U of U Health scientists to map the epigenetics of the human genome. This ambitious project explores how patterns in gene activity are passed on and how DNA changes as people age. It will provide a system-wide point of comparison for future studies.
The project will benefit from using the Utah Population Database. This genetic library with 25 years of electronic health records is the largest of its kind in the world.
Seed Grants
Philanthropy, some federal grants, and internal sources can provide seed funding for pilot studies. These smaller grants allow researchers to back up their hypotheses with hard data. Results can generate a “proof of concept,” which allows them to compete for larger federal grants.
Seed funding from the Utah Center for Iron and Heme Disorders—in combination with American Heart Association and NIH funding—recently led to a new target for antimalarial drugs. With the groundwork laid, researchers will continue working on new treatments for malaria, among the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
The Benefits of Research
As demonstrated in the previous examples, research can have massive impacts on the world around us. Research fills critical knowledge gaps to improve community health and enhance our economy.
Foundational Knowledge and Understanding
Research strengthens the foundations of knowledge. Studying model systems in a research environment can later be scaled up to more complex systems with broad impact.
For example, Mario Capecchi’s work on knockout genes in mice began simply enough. But it revolutionized how we study genetics in all creatures today. For this discovery, Capecchi jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007.
New foundational knowledge and understanding can advance science in new directions in ways that no one could have anticipated.
Improving Health for All
Discoveries in drug development, behavioral health, and new technology lead to advances in health care for patients. All of them begin with research.
Beyond clinical care, research can address issues that affect us all. For example, University of Utah researchers are currently studying how the Great Salt Lake releases pollutants into the atmosphere and its impact on the health of nearby residents. This work is relevant to millions of people living along the Wasatch Front.
Economic Benefits of Research
The day-to-day work of research is an economic generator. Research at the U supports more than 8,300 jobs. It also produces start-up companies and leads to patents and new biotech products. Research at the U also prepares trainees for the biomedical industry workforce.
The net impact is an economic powerhouse, creating jobs that allow skilled professionals to make valuable contributions to science and improve life in Utah and the world at large.
Holding a Torch for Research
Research is at the core of what we do as an academic health center. Our discoveries improve the way we deliver care, help people live healthier lives, and advance scientific understanding. It also builds our economy and provides a training ground for future scientists, educators, and care providers.
Thanks to research—and the critical funding that makes it possible—we can continue collaborating with our communities to tackle unmet needs and improve quality of life.
