Skye Hathaway, Contributing Writer
VCU spent over $524 million on research in the 2024 fiscal year, ranking No. 46 nationally in research productivity, with about half the money going to medical research.
VCU earned the ranking from the National Science Foundation’s Herd Survey, which measures research productivity through research expenditures, according to David Oglethorpe, the director of communications at VCU’s research and innovation office.
Research expenditures, or the dollar amount the university spent on research, have doubled over the past five years due to a growing focus on research, Oglethorpe said. Medical research receives the largest amount of external funding.
VCU receives funding from sponsors who commit their money to research through grants — which are primarily funded by federal, institutional and state investors.
Federal funding makes up half of VCU’s research funding, according to Oglethorpe. Some federal grants have been cancelled within the past year, which the university says it will continue to monitor.
VCU is continuing to look for more federal funding opportunities and will pursue new methods to win federal awards, Oglethorpe said.
VCU’s research is largely focused on “team science grants” and larger institutional grants, Oglethorpe said. They allow faculty from different fields to work together on research projects that address societal issues.
VCU recently released its research strategy for fiscal year 2026, which divides the goals of this interdisciplinary effort into 16 “research clusters.” They are designed to encourage faculty members to collaborate on research projects, according to Oglethorpe.
The four pillars of the plan are optimizing health, supporting sustainable energy and environments, enriching the human experience and advancing societal well-being.
Focusing on specific research allows VCU to expand their internal investments, which permits faculty to apply for internal grants, Oglethorpe said. The grants allow less-funded fields, such as the arts, humanities and social sciences, to continue their research.
Internal funding supported 41 projects, with 21 of them being supported by the Quest Fund, according to a press release. The Quest Fund was established in 2014 and finances transdisciplinary work led by faculty. Their research last year included cancer therapy, opioid studies and creating artificial wetlands to improve sewage systems in cities.
Undergraduate students at VCU can become involved in research through a program called Every Ram’s a Researcher. Over 5,000 students participated in the research program last year, according to Herb Hill, assistant vice provost for undergraduate research and creative inquiry.
The program’s current plan focuses on engaging students in research through their general education courses, Hill said. It allows undergraduate students to participate in research at the beginning of their education.
Every Ram’s a Researcher also helps fund research programs that students can engage in without registering for a course, or having to pay, Hill said. Around 1,000 students take part in the funded, non-credit research offered by the program.
Undergraduate research has not been offered to students who were not in Ivy League schools, until recently, Hill said. A small number of students could participate in research at schools like VCU, making research non-inclusive for most.
Hill created the original undergraduate research program in 2010 to give all VCU students that opportunity.
“Our whole approach and value system around undergraduate research at VCU is focused on inclusivity, you know, making sure that students have access to these high-impact practices so that those success outcomes are spread out among as many students as possible,” Hill said.
Students can engage in over a dozen programs through the undergraduate initiative, Hill said. They involve research in clinical trials for cancer, mathematics, arts, pharmaceutical engineering, biomedical engineering, behavioral sciences and magnetics.
Students can apply for the program by visiting the VCU Office of Undergraduate Research website.