UNLV plans to drastically increase research spending, grant more doctoral degrees

By Daniel Rothberg

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015 | 5:15 p.m.

After years of declining research spending after the recession, UNLV has increased spending for three straight years and has set an ambitious goal to nearly quadruple that spending in the next 10 years, officials said Friday during a report on UNLV’s research activity.

UNLV spends more than $40 million per year on research and development, less than its pre-recession level of $54 million but an increase from recent years. By 2025, as part of its plan to be a top-tier university, UNLV hopes to increase spending to $150 million per year.

Also by 2025, the university plans to grant 200 doctoral degrees each year, about double its current output.

“It’s an aggressive plan, but if you’re focused, you can get to where you want to be in 10 years,” said Thomas C. Piechota, the university's interim vice president for research and economic development.

Piechota presented a summary of UNLV's research activity during the past year and previewed benchmarks for how administrators hope the university will increase its output in such a short period of time.

Piechota stressed the need for new campus infrastructure and research faculty.

Also, a large majority of the university’s research budget comes from federal funding, he said, while only a sliver comes from industry.

“We want to grow those other slices,” he said, singling out commercial and foundation funding.

In recent years, the university has increased its patent submissions, from eight filings in 2009 to 47 filings in 2015. During the annual report, Zach Miles, the associate vice president for economic development, announced that two patents had already been issued for university research in fiscal year 2016, which began July 1. For the first time this year, UNLV helped launch three startups — Abel Therapeutics, Moveo Medics and Colony Shield — that are seeking to commercialize UNLV research on treating hospital infections, detecting diabetic ulcerations and preventing a disease that kills bees.

UNLV officials also emphasized the importance of partnerships in spurring research and development. They touted recent partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Switch, Intel and most recently Tesla. In opening remarks, UNLV President Len Jessup said partnerships outside of the science and math fields could yield opportunities for research in other fields. He cited UNLV’s selection to host a presidential debate.

Diverse industry partnerships, ranging from Tesla to the Cleveland Clinic, are crucial to boosting research, Jessup said.

“It’s exactly what we need to be doing to get to the next level,” he said.