November 23, 2020
Dear OU Community,
At the University of Oklahoma, we are enthusiastically focused on unlocking our greatest potential as one of the nation’s top public research universities. Guided by Lead On, University, our strategic plan, our vision forward is beginning to take shape. Our university’s research endeavors are a primary focus of the strategic plan, but as you will read below, our recent successes speak to the momentum already underway.
Spearheaded by Dr. Tomás Díaz de la Rubia and Dr. James Tomasek, OU’s Vice Presidents for Research and Partnerships on our Norman and Health Sciences Center campuses, respectively, and driven by the talent of our entire research enterprise, we are seeing exciting progress in our efforts to grow OU’s national position in groundbreaking research. The research landscape at OU has progressed tremendously in the past year, with researchers on the Norman campus setting a record-high $255.6 million in research awards earned through grants and external funding in FY2020, surpassing the previous benchmark of $218 million for the FY2019. This trajectory continues, with research awards up 7% at the end of the first quarter of FY2021. In addition, OUHSC earned a record-high $190 million in federal and state awards during FY2020, and three departments in the OU College of Medicine were ranked among the top 20 in the nation for funding from the National Institutes of Health. The annual ranking, compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, is considered the gold standard for biomedical research metrics.
To have reached these achievements during this unprecedented year is even more remarkable. The research highlights listed below are just a sampling of the innovative and meaningful work that’s being done across our great university – more recent research accomplishments can be read here.
As our state’s flagship institution, OU is fundamentally invested in the future of Oklahoma, and fostering a dynamic research ecosystem yields widespread economic growth and life-changing outcomes across our state and beyond. Each of us plays a unique role on our exciting path forward, and success stories like these reaffirm our shared commitment to our vision and purpose. I am thrilled to see what lies ahead.
Live On, University,
Joseph Harroz, Jr.
President
