trends in science and engineering R&D at YSU and Northeast Ohio

Last week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released its most recent statistical tables for research and development (R&D) expenditures in science and engineering (S&E) at universities and colleges across the country.

This data allows us to peer into funding trends at local universities up to fiscal year 2007.

Funding to universities for research can come from a variety of sources: the federal government, state and local governments, private companies and industry, foundations, and the universities themselves.

Here then is a chart illustrating research funding in science and engineering at Youngstown St. University from 2000 to 2007.

The dollar values are in thousands, and displayed are trends for all combined sources of S&E R&D funds (usually the top line), the portion from the federal government (middle), and the portion from industry (lowest line):


The graph shows R&D funding at YSU in recent years had peaked back in 2004 at $1.8 million, dropping by 2007 to almost $600,000. Federal funding too experienced this growth and fall, while funding from companies consistently hovers around or less than $100,000.

Now looking at our friends at Cleveland St. University, the overall trend in S&E R&D funding on that campus is definitely upward. Total funding peaked as well in 2004, at $16.9 million, which is about 10 times that of YSU.


Next up is the University of Akron, which has experienced dramatic increases under the tenure of President Luis Proenza. The last six years of total S&E R&D funding on the chart has U of A in the $27 to $29 million range consistently.


We can also compare trends for the universities side-by-side:


The data for YSU also allows us to delve into the subjects being funded. For example, out of the total $611,000 attained by the university in 2007, according to the NSF:

- $9,000 went to the environmental sciences
- $156,000 went to the life sciences
- $7,000 went to the math/computer sciences
- $375,000 went to the physical sciences (chemistry, physics)
- $1,000 (approx) went to psychology, and
- $59,000 went to engineering

In 2007, the state of Ohio was ranked 7th in the nation with $1.81 billion in science and engineering research funding to universities. More impressively, Ohio ranked fourth in the percent increase (42.5 percent) in this amount for the five-year period from FY03 to FY07.

Looking only at total funding in 2007 to public universities in the state:
- $720 million at Ohio State
- $376 million at Univ. of Cincinnati
- $52.4 million at Univ. of Toledo
- $49.7 million at Wright State
- $38.7 million at Ohio Univ.
- $27.1 million at Univ. of Akron
- $23.7 million at Miami Univ.
- $19.0 million at Kent State
- $16.8 million at Air Force Inst. of Tech.
- $15.9 million at Cleveland State
- $9.1 million at Bowling Green
- $5.0 million at NEOUCOM
- $2.3 million at Central State
- and $611,000 at YSU

To be sure, tracking research expenditures is only one simple component of measuring the overall complex impact of a university. In addition to economic development, a university improves the workforce, quality of life, community service opportunities, and the arts, among others.

Reasons for lower relative research rankings over the decades at YSU to other Ohio public universities can be a result of several factors:

- only two programs are currently offered at the PhD level (none in STEM)
- historically smaller science and engineering masters degree programs
- fewer connections to existing industries from earlier decades
- smaller metro and university size
- lack of metro-wide economic development strategy and implementation
- poor governmental leadership at federal level prior to this decade

However, that's the past - and time to move to the future.

According to this recent video taken by the Business-Journal of YSU President David Sweet, the mission of university has been updated, and has undergone a reclassification by the state as an urban research university:



In closing, what will the future hold?

Some important steps have been taken in the past few years, which may impact YSU's future opportunities to grow their R&D expenditures:

- the establishment of a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) College as one of the university's academic units, along with its new leadership;

- the continued growth of local tech companies in the downtown;

- additional engagement with institutions in Pittsburgh, Akron, and Cleveland;

- enhanced partnerships with regional companies;

- leadership at the federal level that understands real economic development;

- the potential for state and regional leaders, and local citizens, to get on this train and not sit on the sidelines.

nz sunday star to U of Akron: drop dead

I was reading New Zealand's Sunday Star newspaper the other day,


and came across the following article by Linda Colley discussing President-elect Obama's educational background and work experience:


according to Ms. Colley:

"It might be argued that this illustrates American meritocracy, except it is not quite as simple as that."

"Had Barack Obama been obliged to take his degree at the University of Akron, say, it is doubtful that his progress would have remotely been as stellar."

slap.


Well, don't look now, but the University of Akron is setting its sights to be the top university in Northeast Ohio, recently announcing it will be striving for $200 million in annual research activities.

More from Dr. Proenza and the six-point plan here.

(keep in mind it's a plan and not reality yet, but a guiding strategy nonetheless. Just look where they were in 1990.)

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So as YSU begins the task of choosing a new president and looking for new leadership to redefine its position in the nation's economy, the Proenza model and the University of Akron would be neighbors to emulate.

following the stars – attracting people, in addition to industry

A bit of interesting research I read in the last few weeks comes from a working paper that can be found on the website of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). This paper was written by Lynne Zucker and Michael Darby at UCLA in April 2006 and is titled "Movement of Star Scientists and Engineers and High-Tech Firm Entry."

Zucker and Darby's earlier research in the late 1990s coined the term "star scientists" to describe very prolific researchers in the field of biotechnology, specifically genetic sequencing. These star researchers were extremely influential to the establishment of the biotechnology industry in America and the success of specific firms, demonstrating how important expert human capital is to economic growth.

Their latest study in 2006 extends the star scientist concept beyond that of just biotechnology. In many scientific fields, even as their research and knowledge within the field spreads over time, the physical presence of these star researchers is key to where high-tech firms develop. They find these "stars" tend to cluster over time, instead of diffusing geographically.


This research compliments the trend in the tech-based economic development world, with regions and states creating incentive programs to attract the best and the brightest researchers across the world to their campuses. The Georgia Research Alliance in the state of Georgia is often used by other states as a model for their programs. Florida State University announced their effort to recruit 200 tenured and tenured-track researchers to their campus in the next 5 years. And sometimes attracting a single faculty member can bring their entire laboratory with them, with multiple graduate students, laboratory technicians, and millions of dollars.

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Is all this leading to a race? A race for the best minds in the research world who are expected to bring increased funding, start-up firms, and an enhanced reputation to campus and the region?

Just like the “smokestack chasing” that many regions in the country use to attract industry through tax incentives, the next wave of incentives offered by regions may lead to “faculty chasing” throughout the country . . .

So while the debate over the best way to attract both industry and individuals is bound to continue, it brings to mind some questions that the leaders of our area may want to consider:

Should Youngstown begin to shift its recruiting efforts away from attracting companies, and more effort be placed in attracting star individuals?

Should Youngstown take steps to protect itself from outside competition, and make sure its existing researchers are as happy as can be, to minimize the possibility of their departure?

Does Youngstown and the region give as much attention to human capital development as they do to site preparation and industrial development?

Should Youngstown and other educational institutions in Northeast Ohio initiate their own multi-million dollar recruitment programs to bring the best and the brightest to the region?

time to ramp up to PhD programs?

Today's Plain Dealer contains an article highlighting Ohio's new Economic Growth Challenge/Innovation Incentive Program, where the state matches money appropriated by Ohio universities that is focused towards doctoral programs in science and technology.

13 Ohio universities are a part of this program, including Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University and the University of Akron from Northeast Ohio. Youngstown State University is not.

I've had a lot of dicussions over the years whether the best way to encourage innovation is to target investment into a few select areas or to spread the wealth around. As taxpayers, we want our money to be spent where it may have the greatest impact.

So as the state is reorienting some of its appropriations towards tech-based economic development, is now the time when Youngstown State University needs to reorient itself to build doctoral research programs? At the moment, Youngstown State only offers doctoral degrees in the field of education.

Maybe it should start to build doctoral programs in its prolific chemistry department. Or maybe it can build a doctoral program within the computer science department, which will create additional opportunities with the expanding software-based Youngstown Business Incubator.

It would be great to read one day how Youngstown State has joined the company of these other universities from Northeast Ohio that have learned to leverage their research programs for future development.