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All these achievements and many more were made possible by the unique American sys-
tem that pairs universities with external funding sources, especially the federal government
(via its mission agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science
Foundation). State and local governments, private foundations, labor unions, and others
also contribute greatly by supporting university activities that improve health, education,
employability, and other aspects of individual and collective enterprise.
This 2011 Annual Report is about the juncture of what we refer to as “sponsored programs”
that take place throughout The City University of New York (CUNY or the University), and the
Research Foundation (RF or the Foundation), which provides the administrative backbone in
the form of tools and talent to support the efforts of our principal investigators (PIs), whether
they are working on their campuses or at the Earth’s farthest reaches.
In 2011, CUNY PIs secured over $383 million in extramural support for their various pro-
grams in research, training, program development, institutional improvement, equipment,
and student support services. These funds are managed by the Research Foundation.
Because the prior year, 2010, was the year in which most of $57 million in one-time funding
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the “stimulus” bill) was received, the
first impression is one of decline from that year’s total of $430 million. That is not the case,
however. If you adjust for the stimulus funding in 2010, non-stimulus awards totaled $379
million. Go back one more year to 2009 when the total was $375 million and the steady
progress becomes evident (and preliminary figures for 2012 suggest even stronger year-
to-year growth).
CUNY’s progress becomes even more apparent when one takes a longer view.
Compare 2011 with a decade earlier and you’ll see that:
Total award activity went from $286.8 million to $383.1 million, an increase of 33.6%.
Federal support went from $113.7 million to $163.6 million, an increase of 43.9%.
True research activity went from $80.4 million to $128.0 million, an increase of 59.2%.