UC's increasing grant revenues and the central role of postdoctoral scholars in generating them.

Postdoctoral Scholars play a key role in bringing billions of dollars in grants and contracts to UC each year, helping make it a world-renowned research University. A recent survey of Science magazine found that nearly half of the articles were first-authored by Postdoctoral researchers. In addition to writing scholarly articles, Postdocs make enormous contributions to the grant proposals that keep the University’s research mission moving forward.

Since 1996-1997, UC’s annual federal grant revenues have more than doubled – burgeoning from $1.37 billion to $2.98 billion – and are entering a period of dramatic new expansion with the Obama administration’s reinvestment in science. UC’s increasing federal grant revenues are used to pay researchers, including Postdocs, and UC is prohibited by the University and funding agency agreements from using these revenues to substitute for the loss of state funds. See below for recent stories about UC’s dramatically increasing research grant revenues.

• (12/10/09) UC Davis hits a new record for annual grant revenues. This piece describes record success at UC Davis. "Despite the difficult budget situation, UC Davis is on a steep upward curve — doubling our research income in less than a decade," says UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi. Vice Chancellor for Research Barry Klein points out that the “research funding trend is a tribute to our exceptional research community” of which Postdoctoral Scholars are such a fundamental part.


• (11/19/09) UC Berkeley up to $65 million in stimulus research funding. UC Berkeley News describes how researchers there have reaped success from ARRA.


• (11/12/09) Senator Barbara Boxer visits UCSD in November to draw attention to how $91 million that the campus has already won in research funding made available by ARRA money is being spent on important medical research projects.


• (11/3/09) UCLA researchers bring in $4 million a day. Another UCLA Today piece touting how UCLA has been bringing in a record-pace $4 million a day in research grant funding so far during fiscal year 2009-2010. Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration points out that these funds are “strictly for research and cannot be used for general support.”


• (9/29/09) US Congresswoman Lois Capps visits UCSB campus in September to praise UCSB in receiving $36 million in federal research awards made available through ARRA.


• (5/29/09) UCLA gears up to win stimulus money. This UCLA Today article describes researchers at UCLA, including Postdoctoral Scholars, working “night and day to develop and submit research grant proposals for funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).”