Purdue reports big boost in research funding

Purdue University says its researchers obtained $389 million in outside funding in the past year.

That's almost a 22-percent increase from the previous year and just short of a record amount for Purdue.

Many of the grants came from federal, state and foreign governments, although university vice president Suresh Garimella says $98 million came from industries and foundations during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Purdue researchers received about 4,100 grants in that time.

Those included $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation to help mass produce a new type of nanomaterial for advanced sensors and batteries, and $5 million over five years from the U.S. Agency for International Development to help countries in sub-Saharan Africa reduce food waste and improve the processing and marketing of key crops.