UH obtained an unprecedented $110 million in research awards for the 2009 fiscal year, a crucial step in pushing the University toward being a nationally competitive research institute.
‘When you can boost your research (funding) past $100 million … you start to get into the territories that many people consider a (flagship) institution,’ Vice President for Research Donald Birx said.
According to an August press release, approximately 314 faculty members received research awards, and prior to the end of August, the awards had reached a total of $104 million.
‘Our fiscal year ends in August. When we closed out…we ended up with $110.4 million,’ Birx said.
A number of criteria must be met before a public research university can attain flagship status, and Birx said UH is close on all metrics except the research aspect.
‘One of the biggest criteria for achieving (flagship) is based on the level of research funding,’ Birx said. ‘What usually follows is (that) expenditures increase and the University starts moving strongly to being a key metric tier one institution. Why that is a measurement that is used is because (research) is very competitive.’
Department of Engineering Chairman Michael Harold elaborated on the struggle for proposals, grants, awards and funding.
‘It’s a highly competitive environment. You have to have work that is respected internationally, which our group is,’ Harold said. ‘In general’hellip;10 percent of the proposals from fundamental studies of the Department of Energy and (the) National Science Foundation are funded.’
As an example, Harold pointed out the retrofit technology being researched at the UH Texas Diesel Testing and Research Center, a study from which he received an award from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
‘Retrofit technology is becoming more available at the state and federal research levels, which makes it a little easier to attract funding, especially when companies are under the gun to meet regulations in the short term. To win an award like that is an accomplishment,’ Harold said. ‘In the diesel center, we’re primarily focusing on retrofit technology of existing diesel vehicles. Retrofit technologies must be less expensive and less complicated so that (they enable) operators to afford and operate them effectively.’
An award from the Department of Energy for approximately $2.5 million supports the research of catalytic converters on diesel vehicles, which Harold is a part of. The research includes a project with the Ford Motor Company and the University of Kentucky.
