URI ranks 18th in the nation for attracting NIH funding

KINGSTON – The University of Rhode Island’s College of Pharmacy ranked 18th in the nation for the amount of National Institutes of Health research funding it attracted in 2009, according to the latest data by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

The $6.3 million in NIH research funding put it ahead of schools that have medical centers or medical schools, including Ohio State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Oklahoma.

Ronald Jordan, dean of URI’s College of Pharmacy, noted that the school did exceptionally well considering that it does not have a medical school.

“It was a record-breaking year and we expect to do even better next year because we have a lot of young faculty that are being awarded grants,” Jordan said to Providence Business News. “We made a substantial leap in funding this year and I expect that we will make a fairly large move in the ranking next year.”

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The College of Pharmacy has been ranked first in NIH funding among pharmacy schools not affiliated with a university medical center or hospital for the past four years, noted the associate dean E. Paul Larret.

The College reported a total of $7.86 million in external funding for the fiscal year 2009 and $11.5 million for the fiscal year 2010. Nine years ago, the external grants and contracts awarded to the College totaled $1.67 million.

“The ranking attracts international interest, graduate students and the brightest young faculty,” Jordan added. “It doesn’t buy you a cup of coffee but it does deliver value to the state and university.”

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