UCSD pulls in record $1.07 billion for research

UC San Diego pulled in a record $1.07 billion last year for research, maintaining the school’s status as one of the 10 largest research centers in the U.S.

It was the fifth time in the past seven years that the campus broke the billion dollar mark. The money was awarded to do everything from help develop cancer and dementia drugs to explore ancient ruins in Belize and study melting glaciers in the Antarctic.

The campus also finished the fiscal year on June 30th with more than $200 million in private donations, something it’s never done before. And the school was awarded 97 patents, ranking the school second in the University of California system.

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said Thursday, “ We push the frontiers of knowledge and challenge conventional thinking. Our breakthrough innovations are creating opportunities -- in San Diego and around the globe -- that change the world economically, technically and socially.”

The university -- which specializes in health and medicine -- has increased its research funding by about $300 million in the past decade, despite tight budgets at the National Institutes of Health, the largest public underwriter of such work.

The school has prospered, in part, by more deeply partnering with industry, particularly pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The university also has been working with startups, some of which are turning out to be highly successful. In January, Apple purchased Emotient, a San Diego artificial intelligence company that was founded by six UC San Diego scientists.

The university’s research program also has been growing because the school’s enrollment is soaring. Over the past decade, UC San Diego added nearly 8,000 students, including many graduate students who’ve helped build research projects. The campus will add another 6,000 students over the next five years.