Atlanta — April 16, 2008

The University System of Georgia’s (USG) income from extramural funding continued to increase during Fiscal Year 2007. University System institutions reported a total of $840,620,228 in funds received through grants and contracts for research, instruction and public service for FY2007. The numbers, released today in a report to the Board of Regents, represent a 1.1 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2006. The total represents a dollar increase of $9,576,768 over the amount reported for the previous fiscal year.

“The University System of Georgia’s colleges and universities continue to attract significant support in the form of extramural dollars from both federal agencies and the private sector,” said Dr. Susan Herbst, the USG’s chief academic officer and executive vice chancellor. “Our research programs in particular have received national attention and financial support, as this report on extramural funding demonstrates.”

Of the $840.6 million, $656,894,788 was for research, $96,221,228 was for public service and $87,503,478 was for instruction. Federal funds made up the greatest portion of the funding for System research income, with 59 percent coming from the federal sector. The state of Georgia was the source of 11 percent of the System’s extramural funding and the non-profit sector accounted for 6 percent of the total. Business and industry provided 12 percent of the funds and other sources combined for the remaining 12 percent.

“Increasing the University System’s competitiveness for federal research funds is part of our Strategic Plan, but federal funding for research has not grown significantly over the last few years, so this is a major challenge,” said Dr. Cathie Hudson, the USG’s vice chancellor for research and policy analysis. “It is a coup to be able to report an increase of any kind in the current economic climate.”

The report also details extramural income from sales of intellectual property at the five senior institutions in the University System. The FY2007 total income from entrepreneurial activities such as inventions, software, copyrights and trademarks was $14,476,630. The five institutions producing this income included the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, the Medical College of Georgia, the University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University.

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