The most recent budget passed by the Corporation, the University's highest governing body, marks the end of the University's use of federal funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The act, signed into law February 2009 by President Obama, designated billions of federal dollars to research at universities across the country. The University received $42.9 million in research funding, much of which was allocated to biology, medicine, engineering and physical science.
"The stimulus had a real positive impact on research spirit," said Clyde Briant, vice president for research. "Federal funds hadn't been growing that much in several years, and having that increase in funding really got people excited."
The Division of Biology and Medicine received $29.3 million, largely because the National Institutes of Health received more research funds than other federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, Briant said. In addition to the stimulus funding, BioMed receives up to $80 million annually from federal sources, according to Ed Wing, dean of medicine and biological sciences.
Of the remainder of the stimulus funding, $12.1 million went toward engineering and physical science, and $1.5 million went toward projects in other departments.
Many of the projects funded with NIH stimulus dollars went through the normal research grant process, Wing said — only this time applicants' chances of receiving funding were increased.
"It's hard to tell whether a project was funded because of the stimulus or if it would've been funded anyway," said David Paine, professor of engineering. "I would say any project funded in the past three years had its odds of being accepted increased because of the stimulus money."
This means that even with stimulus dollars drying up, some projects funded by the act could continue to be funded through the competitive renewal process.
Other projects funded by the stimulus were one-time only grants, focused on the purchasing of equipment or investment in infrastructure. A $1 million cyber infrastructure expansion was funded to better connect Brown's main campus to the Jewelry District and the Warren Alpert Medical School.
"This project was very (Recovery Act)-specific," said Ed Hawrot, professor of medical science. "Right now, they're forecasting that they won't be able to support this in the future."
Stimulus dollars also made possible the purchase of a $1.2 million nanofabrication tool, Paine said. More than 50 individuals have been trained to use this "versatile" tool, and it has usages across multiple departments, he said.
Agnes Kane, professor of medical science, received funding as part of a collaboration with the University of Rochester to study the effect of carbon nanotubes on the lungs.
Kane credits the act for providing the funds necessary for this project and said she will "just keep writing grants" now that stimulus dollars are no longer available.
Hawrot said he expects NIH funding to remain flat and NSF funding to increase slightly in next year's budget.
"Even Congress can recognize a deal when they see it," Paine said, regarding the return on investment that federal research dollars provide to the economy at-large.
"I think people who have been in this game for a long time know that funding comes and goes," Paine said. "You just have to be prepared to jump when there is an opportunity."
