As our research enterprise continues to grow, the scholarly community is increasingly recognizing the quality of your work and using your research to advance scholarship and discovery around the world. Those are the key points in my fiscal year-end report to the University’s Board of Trustees.
Fiscal Year 2021 was another banner year for our institutional research metrics:
- Expenditures from competitive awards increased 9 percent to $114 million in FY2021 and exceeded the ClemsonForward goal of $100 million for the third consecutive year.
- Research awards increased 37 percent to $162 million in FY2021 as funding agencies reward your high-quality proposals.
- Proposal submissions increased 4 percent from FY2020, which had been a high mark, to $762 million.
Of course, when the awards are received, it is time to do the work: conducting the research and writing the papers and books, and so forth. The scholarly community is increasingly recognizing the quality of Clemson’s research. The average annual number of peer-reviewed journal publications authored by Clemson faculty have increased 29% since 2014 and citations of Clemson authors have increased 44%. That is outstanding.
You can read my full report to the Board of Trustees online.
To help continue our momentum, we have several efforts at the Division of Research aimed at nurturing research activity and professional development. The Office of Research Development, for example, is again offering its CAREER Academy in the Spring. The CAREER Academy provides a dedicated support structure for untenured junior faculty who are planning to submit National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposals.
These awards are career catalysts and the most prestigious awards junior faculty can receive. I know, personally, my CAREER award helped to propel my research portfolio and set me up for future success. And, Clemson faculty are becoming increasingly successful earning CAREER awards, in part due to the support provided through the CAREER Academy. Clemson faculty have earned 10 CAREER awards each of the past two years. That is an incredible accomplishment.
Applications for the 2022 CAREER Academy will be accepted from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30, 2021. Additional information is posted online.
On Friday, we will welcome to campus Sue Clark, deputy laboratory director of science and technology at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to speak with you about conducting research at SRNL. As many of you know, Clemson is a member of the Battelle Savannah River Alliance recently selected by the Department of Energy to manage research at SRNL. This is a tremendous opportunity for Clemson faculty and students to conduct research at one of the nation’s premiere national laboratories.
Sue will give a 15-20 minute presentation to share tips on engaging SRNL in research collaborations and then will answer questions from attendees. The event is 9:30-11:30 am. Nov. 12 at the Watt Family Innovation Center auditorium. More information about Sue and BSRA is posted online.
Lastly, I want to remind you that Calls for Proposal for this year’s R-Initiatives are now online. As I mentioned in a recent email to all faculty, we are expanding the SUCCEEDS initiative to provide four different funding programs, including two that were formerly part of the CU SEED program and another program that is new this year. Full details on the SUCCEEDS programs are posted online.
I encourage you to review our R-Initiatives webpage, mark the upcoming deadlines on your calendars and prepare proposals to take advantage of these opportunities. I truly believe there is something here for everyone. Since we launched R-Initiatives in 2017, we have invested in research projects involving 418 faculty members spread across every college. These funds have helped faculty secure $14 million in additional external funding, acquire 20 new pieces of instrumentation, publish 10 books and 66 journal articles, and conduct 10 art exhibitions. Additionally, funds have helped 97 students earn PhDs and have assisted in the hiring of 23 postdocs and research faculty.
Thank you for continued support of scholarship and discovery at Clemson.
–Tanju
