Notre Dame tops $222 million in research awards, breaking previous records

Author: Joanne Fahey

Brett Peters, assistant director of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative checks instruments at the Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility (ND LEEF) in St. Patrick's County Park. (Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)
Brett Peters, assistant director of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative checks instruments at the Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility (ND LEEF) in St. Patrick's County Park. (Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)

The University of Notre Dame received $222.7 million in research award funding for fiscal year 2021. This is more than $42 million over the previous record and the first time the University has surpassed the $200 million mark.

“In the face of a most difficult year, Notre Dame’s faculty and staff continued to actively pursue scholarship opportunities that reflect our mission to be a force for good in the world, both in the creation and application of knowledge,” said Robert J. Bernhard, vice president for research and professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering. “One indicator of the increasing competitiveness of our programs is indicated by the growth of research funding awards received by the University. We also believe that the breadth and depth of this year’s portfolio of funded programs indicate that the type of programs funded this year will be sustainable into the future.”

Among some of the largest new awards to the University were:

Faculty and staff from the other colleges and schools, as well as centers, institutes and core facilities, contributed to the record-breaking total. However, STEM researchers at Notre Dame experienced some of the strongest growth, with the College of Engineering growing by $22 million and the College of Science by $16 million in the last year alone. Contributing to this total were the following new grants:

“These awards represent an important milestone for the University of Notre Dame. They also reflect the extraordinary vision of our faculty and their scholarly creativity and leadership,” said Marie Lynn Miranda, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost at the University of Notre Dame. “It is our honor to provide a home for these research endeavors as our faculty advance the knowledge frontier and develop solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our world.”

Approximately 54 percent of the research awards came from federal funding, while 27 percent came from foundations or other sponsors and 19 percent came from industry. Overall, Notre Dame’s externally funded research had a global footprint of 52 awards received for research in 34 different countries, totaling $37.8 million. 

 

To explore more about external research funding at Notre Dame, please visit research.nd.edu/about/facts-figures.