The UNLV Division of Research and Economic Development reports annual data characterizing institutional research activity in order to evaluate campus research productivity and to facilitate benchmarking to promote future growth.

Various performance measures indicate that FY2014 was a productive year for UNLV researchers.

Research expenditures — funding spent by UNLV researchers during the last fiscal year — increased 12 percent to just over $31 million. (Research expenditures are the gold standard for measurement of research productivity.) Total sponsored program expenditures, a broader measure reflecting the full scope of UNLV’s grants and contracts activity, were up 8 percent to $48 million.

Total sponsored program awards — funds available for use by researchers but not yet expended — increased by 38 percent to nearly $60 million, the largest amount of award funding since 2010. Sponsored program proposals, meanwhile, increased by 41 percent for a total of $286 million. Health Sciences, Engineering, and Sciences all posted substantial gains in funding. Both the colleges of Education and Hotel Administration also showed awards increases.

“This is a testament to the dedication of our faculty, staff, and students, who are committed to research that advances their fields, impacts the community, and supports economic development,” said Tom Piechota, Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

Other metrics for research and economic development activity also showed gains in FY2014. Research disclosures and patent filings, both important measures of economic development activity, each increased over the previous fiscal year thanks, in part, to the gaming innovation program that generated numerous patents.

Another measure of university research activity is the number of doctoral degrees conferred, as doctoral programs require a strong research component culminating in the doctoral dissertation. A decrease in doctoral degrees conferred in 2013-14 reflects closure of several graduate programs during the recession. However, increases in doctoral conferrals are anticipated in coming years given that doctoral headcount has begun to rebound.

Additionally, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals were up by 23 percent, an increase produced in large part by growth in the number of biomedical IRB approvals. The IRB is a committee designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and social/behavioral research involving human subjects in order to protect the rights and welfare of the research subjects.

Sponsored Program Activity

* Sponsored programs include research, instruction and training, and other sponsored activity (i.e., public service, student services, etc.). Financial aid funding, which was previously reported in sponsored program data, is no longer included here. It has been removed beginning in FY2008.

* Sponsored programs include research, instruction and training, and other sponsored activity (i.e., public service, student services, etc.). Financial aid funding, which was previously reported in sponsored program data, is no longer included here. It has been removed beginning in FY2008.

UNLV Award Data FY14

* Financial aid funds (e.g., Pell grants and Millennium Scholarships) are no longer included in these amounts.

Sponsored Program Funding by Source

Doctoral Degrees Conferred

Research Disclosures, Patent Activity and Startups

Agreements and Licensing Revenue

MTA — Material Transfer Agreement
IIA — Inter-Institutional Agreement
MOU — Memorandum of Understanding 

Institutional Review Board Approvals