YSU grant awards continue to grow, hit nine-year high

Youngstown State University earned $8.9 million in research and service grants during this past fiscal year, the highest amount in nine years.

“Our success in attracting sponsored program funding positively impacts the university, our students and thousands of people across our community, and also affirms that we are an emerging research institution,” said Mike Hripko, associate vice president for Research.

The YSU Office of Research Services’ fiscal year 2018 report, presented this morning during the quarterly meeting of the YSU Board of Trustees’ Academic and Student Affairs Committee, shows faculty and staff were awarded 94 grants totaling $8.9 million during fiscal year 2018. By comparison, there were 60 grant awards totaling $4.6 million during fiscal year 2015.

The report also indicates that YSU established research collaborations with eight foreign countries, 12 industry partners, 21 universities and 75 other sponsors, ranging from Lockheed Martin and the National Science Foundation to Mercy Health and several local school districts.

“In classrooms, hospitals, banking, the arts, industry, and across all sectors, the impact of YSU research and sponsored programs is significant and far-reaching,” Hripko said.

He noted that students benefit through graduate assistantships, scholarships, internships and the learning opportunities afforded by performing research side-by-side with faculty. The community benefits include after-school programs, community health programs, local arts initiatives, training opportunities and numerous other programs, he said.

“And the region benefits through YSU’s increasing role as a center of innovative discovery and excellence,” he added, noting the university’s increasing national and international role in additive and advanced manufacturing technologies.

It is the second report this year focusing on the impact of YSU’s research activities. Earlier this year, YSU released results of an independent study showing that it spent $915,000 on payroll to support research activities in 2016-17, creating a net total of $3.1 million in added income for the regional economy.

A similar study said spending on research at public universities in Ohio created a cumulative net total of $1.4 billion in added income for the state economy.

“Public university research in Ohio is enhancing society economically, scientifically and socially,” said Bruce Johnson, president of the IUC, an association representing Ohio’s 14 public universities. “This value add is a tremendous advantage for the state and improving the lives of our citizens and ensuring that the state remains technologically and intellectually capable of fully participating in the information economy.”

For more information on research being conducted at public universities across Ohio, visit this website.