College of Pharmacy moves up to No. 7 in total research funding

The University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy has moved up two spots to No. 7 in the national rankings for total research funding, according to a June 2022 report released by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. For this year’s ranking, a total of 111 schools of pharmacy in the U.S. reported extramural research funding.

For the past federal fiscal year (October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021), the college received a record $24.5 million total, $15.3 million of which were from NIH grants. This represents a 5% increase from the previous year’s total ($23.3 million), at a time when overall national funding remained flat.

“These rankings are important because they serve as a metric for the quality of the research being done here,” says Dean Glen Schumock. “The funding agencies only support research that they believe will have major scientific impact.”

The college’s research funding has been steadily increasing over the past decade thanks to talented and dedicated faculty and the labs and teams who support them. Over the past eight years, total funding at the college has increased almost 50%.

“I could not be prouder of our college once again showing that research and the scientific process at UIC has led us to a top-seven position in the U.S.,” says Joanna Burdette, professor and associate dean for research and graduate education. “Our faculty are among the most talented and successful in their fields, and this makes our college an amazing place to train.”

The $24.5 million in funding represents awards from 43 faculty investigators. The college is ranked No. 9 nationally for NIH grants and  No. 6 for other federal grants.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), founded in 1900, is the national organization representing pharmacy education in the United States. AACP publishes Funded Research Grant Data annually on its website.

Written by Laura Hayes for the UIC College of Pharmacy.