Research brings new money into Arizona's economy, since most of the research is funded by the federal government, research foundations, or the public sector. Research enhances educational opportunities for students at Arizona's public universities Students at all levels are supported by and are involved with research projects, collecting data, doing field work, conducting interviews, learning other research methodologies, and managing experiments. Most of the equipment used for instruction in undergraduate science classes has been purchased with research funding. Research provides a structure for on-going education of faculty University faculty are at the top of the teaching and learning hierarchy. They have exhausted the possibilities of formal structured education.
Research provides a structure for learning for faculty.
The knowledge base in every field changes and grows constantly. Faculty must stay current in their field by maintaining significant depth and breadth of knowledge in their field. Having faculty on the leading edge of knowledge is beneficial to the university and provides the best educational experience for students. The UA gene therapy program has grown significantly and offers a variety of clinical studies. Another project has developed a series of tests to confirm the early signs of Parkinson's disease.