The University of South Dakota

Goals and Grantsmanship

"A Very Ambitious Goal" – that is certainly true of The University of South Dakota's aim to double grant and contract revenue over the next 5 years.  This goal is even more remarkable when one considers that The U. had already doubled its external funding between 1990 and 1997, and tripled it between 1997 and 2009 to its current level of more than $30M annually.

To meet this new challenge, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is offering a variety of faculty development opportunities, including grantsmanship training modules on-line and in workshops, and enhanced research compliance programs aimed at strengthening projects with human subjects, and animals, and physical and biological hazards.  Revamped internal grant programs foster research and creative activities that are tied directly to colleges' and schools' strategic plans and focus on new faculty development.

The U. is serious about increasing its national research stature and the global visibility of its research and creative activity.  Our outstanding faculty are working together to define and seek funds for niche areas that are uniquely "U.". 

Ambitious?  Perhaps, but consider the words of Leo Burnett (famous for using visual imagery in advertising): "When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get them, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either."