Continuing internal review within IFAS may lead to reallocations between extension and research to meet changing needs in the state. We measure the return on the state's investment in research by calculating the sponsored research dollars generated for each state dollar spent on research. We expect a major research university to generate at least 3 sponsored research dollars from outside the institution for every state dollar spent on publication oriented research by the ranked faculty. IFAS, with its specific state mission in support of agriculture does not pursue externally funded grants and contracts at the same level. Nonetheless, even IFAS returns almost one externally funded dollar for every state dollar invested.
State funded research is clearly a very good investment.
The research effort of the ranked faculty also produces patents. The number of patents awarded serves as a very rough indicator of the university's commitment to protecting the intellectual property developed with state, federal, and private funds and reflects an active program to translate research products into commercial activity to benefit the people and economic development of the state and the nation. The total number of patents also provides an index to the level of scientific activity. This measure, along with the others in this report does not, however, capture the work of faculty in the fine arts, humanities and social sciences whose work may well produce major contributions enjoyed by and benefiting many citizens. Books, plays, sculpture, music, all represent publication oriented research of the ranked faculty even though this production does not appear here.