UA research enterprise second-fastest growing in nation

The University of Alabama has progressed in many ways over the years and it is no secret that a lot of that progress came courtesy of former Sen. Richard Shelby and is now coming from Alabama’s current congressional delegation.

In fact, Shelby alone won the university millions in funding over a decades long political career and Alabama’s congressman and senators today are continuing that effort.

The Shelby Endowment for Distinguished Faculty for instance leveraged $100 million in congressional funding to establish an endowment to recruit and support faculty members in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Thanks to their persistence, the University of Alabama has now announced that according to the National Science Foundation it is the second fastest growing research enterprise among the nation’s research institutions. A large reason for this distinction is the steady stream of funding going toward the school that Alabama legislators are securing in Washington.

“The University of Alabama has truly thrived in research over the past five years, due to our incredibly committed faculty and students,” said Dr. Allen Parrish, interim vice president for research and development. “Growing the research enterprise to a world-class level has empowered us to chart the trajectory of the future, enabling our graduates to be prepared for not just their first job, but for jobs over a 40-year career. As a national and international leader in research, we have the insight to prepare students for jobs of the future that don’t even exist yet.”

“Our focus over the past few years has been heavily oriented toward use-inspired research – research that is designed by scientists and industry working together to address societal challenges and opportunities. Our signature research institutes have led the charge in connecting UA researchers with industry and government partners.”

UA’s expenditures on research grew 105% from $63.3 million spent in 2017 to $129.5 million spent in in 2021, the latest year national comparisons from the NSF Higher Education Research and Development Survey can be made. That is the second largest increase among the 146 universities granting doctoral degrees designated in the “Very High Research Activity,” category by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

In 2022, UA’s research and development expenditures grew 26% to $163.2 million, which will be reflected when the NSF survey is published in December.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.