UF College of Pharmacy moves into top 3 of national research rankings

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy moved up two places to No. 3 in the nation for total research funding in the latest American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, or AACP, report released June 23. The No. 3 ranking is the highest ever achieved by the college when compared to peer institutions.

AACP compiles research data from more than 140 colleges of pharmacy around the country. For the first time, the UF College of Pharmacy ranked No. 3 in all three major categories where research funding is reported: NIH funding ($22.1 million), federal funding ($25.9 million) and total funding ($32.3 million).

The $32.3 million is a new record for annual research funding in the college and represents a nearly fourfold increase since 2013, when the college secured $8.5 million. In addition, the federal funding amount is a new record for the college.

“To achieve these record-setting results takes a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication by our faculty and the research teams who support them,” said Julie Johnson, Pharm.D., dean and distinguished professor in the UF College of Pharmacy. “Scientific discovery is a never-ending pursuit, and our faculty have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the health and welfare of others through their pharmaceutical research.”

The UF College of Pharmacy increased the number of grant-funded faculty from 53 to 57 during AACP’s reporting period from Oct. 2020 to Sept. 2021. AACP’s report also indicated that 92.5% of the college’s tenure-track research faculty were grant-funded. Both numbers reflect new statistical highs for the college.

AACP publishes Funded Research Grant Data annually on its website. The reporting period follows the federal fiscal year from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.