For the second consecutive year Ball State has received more than $24 million in external grants to fund faculty education and research projects.

The university received $24.3 million in outside funding in 2003-04 due to its ability to compete on a national level for projects by establishing collaborations with partners in education, business, state agencies and other not-for-profit organizations, said James Pyle, assistant vice president for research.

"We have witnessed tremendous growth in new outside funding avenues across the university," he said. "Our professors have done an excellent job in recognizing potential partnerships with public and private sectors."

Ball State has increased outside funding for research and educational programs since 1998-99 when the university received $5.5 million. Outside funding doubled to $11 million the following year, increased to $19.9 million in 2001-02 and established a record level of $25.2 million last year.

"Our repeated success shows that last year was not a fluke, but represents a benchmark of our potential," Pyle said. "In fact, we expect to maintain this level in the coming year. We have $23 million in pending projects and have received $11 million in outside funding already for this fiscal year."

During 2003-04, faculty received funding for 242 of the 339 proposals submitted, a success rate of 71 percent.

"This says that our faculty and staff are doing an excellent job with the support from the Office of Academic Research and Sponsored Programs," Pyle said. "It also indicates that we negotiate effectively before and after proposals are submitted, preparing the groundwork for success."

The university had 14 proposals exceeding $500,000 and 26 projects surpassing $100,000. Among the university's seven academic colleges, the College of Sciences and Humanities received the highest amount of outside funding with $5.25 million for its 22 projects with Teachers College receiving $5.21 million for 37 projects.

Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora said that since many of the projects involve establishing partnerships with organizations and communities around the state, the university will play an integral role in many of Indiana's economic development initiatives.

"Ball State is increasingly becoming involved in advanced research projects that will lead to economic development and the creation of good-paying jobs," she said. "In the coming months we will be collaborating with companies to bring broadband wireless opportunities to the community, helping firms protect their computer systems from cyber-attacks and assisting fledgling entrepreneurs in developing new companies and projects."