2020 Annual Report

Claudia Neuhauser Presiden't Cabinet portrait

UH Research and Innovation excels, swiftly reopening laboratories after a three-week shutdown during the pandemic peak. Our resilience shines as we broke the $200 million research expenditure milestone, submitting over 1200 proposals and securing 7% more than in 2019. Recent data reveals UH surpassing Texas Tech in research expenditure, climbing from 123 to 117 in national rankings. While this is promising, we are just getting started. With a comprehensive strategy in place, our aim is to reach the top 50 public universities. Join us as we propel research and innovation to new heights of preeminence. Explore this report and spread the word—UH's best days lie ahead.

Amr Elnashai, FREng
VP for Research

Research By The Numbers

Although the University research operations were restricted the last quarter of fiscal year 2020 due to the pandemic and the economic shutdown, UH experienced a rise in research expenditures for the year. UH hit $79 million in federal research expenditures, the highest number on record. The overall rise in research expenditures, along with the historic high in federal expenditures, shows the continued push of UH faculty to expand and grow the research enterprise.

$201MResearch Expenditures
$756MTotal Funds Requested
$116MTotal Projected Award Amount
1,201Proposals Submitted
28%Proposals Awarded
339Number of Awards Received

Innovation By The Numbers

UH licensing income continues to grow, ending at $59 million for fiscal year 2020. A one-time legal settlement of nearly $15 million in fiscal year 2019 caused the licensing income to spike, so once again, UH saw a historical high for this measure. The number of patents earned by UH inventors tied the all-time high at 40 for fiscal year 2020, the same number earned the previous year. UH hit the second-highest year for disclosures, a 50% rise from a decade ago.

$59M Licensing Income
72Disclosures
40Patents

2020: Year In Review

Four UH Faculty Members Elected to National Academy of Inventors
UH faculty, Yuhua Chen, Jason Eriksen, Hung Le and Yan Yao, are among 32 inventors inducted as NAI Senior Members in February 2020, recognizing their contributions to academia and innovation.
Two UH Chemists Named 2020 Sloan Research Fellows
Jakoah Brgoch and Judy Wu, both assistant professors of chemistry working in different fields, are named 2020 Sloan Research Fellows for their potential to innovate in their respective fields among 126 recipients across disciplines.
Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston Announce Collaborative Grant Awardees
Baylor College of Medicine and University of Houston collaborate on nine research projects funded by $60,000 grants over 18 months, promoting interdisciplinary studies in areas like oncology, genetics, and virology.
UH Engineer Awarded Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship
Pradeep Sharma, M.D. Anderson Chair Professor of mechanical engineering, has been selected for a Guggenheim Fellowship, 2020’s only recipient in the engineering category.
UH Ranks among Top 100 Global Universities for Patents
Focused on technology-driven societal improvements, UH ranks among top global universities for utility patents issued in 2019. It's one of three Texas institutions in the top 100, at No. 75 with 39 patents.
More, Faster, Better – UH Unveils New Supercomputer
UH's HPE Data Science Institute, in collaboration with the Cullen College of Engineering, boosts computing capacity with a $2.5 million Hewlett Packard supercomputer called "Carya," funded in part by a Governor's University Research Initiative award to Professor Andrea Prosperetti.
Subsea Systems Institute Receives $9.5 Million for Research, Economic Development
The Subsea Systems Institute, directed by Ramanan Krishnamoorti, has obtained $9.5 million for offshore industry workforce training and technology development, funded partly by the Deepwater Horizon settlement.

New National Centers Launch at UH

A surge of funding in 2020 established three new national centers. The Center for Success of English Learners and the HEALTH Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention launched at UH. The Center for Integrated Catalysis launched as a collaborative effort between four institutions.

HEALTH Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention (RCMI)
Supported by a $11.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Ezemenari Obasi leads HEALTH-RCMI to advance research on substance use and prevent cancer in underserved communities.
Center for Success of English Learners
With $10 million from the Institute of Education Sciences, David Francis leads the efforts of CSEL to level the playing field for middle and high school students who grow up hearing a language other than English in their homes.
Center for Integrated Catalysis
Associate Professor Loi Do heads the UH team in collaboration with UCLA, UNC Chapel Hill and Boston College to develop the fundamental chemistry needed to prepare synthetic plastics, supported by $1.8 million from the NSF.