BY THE NUMBERS Illinois in FY 2012 $376 Million: NSF funds awarded 5 th : National ranking in NSF funds 73: NSF-funded institutions 957: NSF grants awarded 16: NSF research centers/facilities EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED RESEARCH IN ILLNOIS NSF’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program aids researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in creating an artificial skin with whiskers to enhance sensing abilities for robotic arms and whisker-tipped catheters for cardiac procedures to prevent atrial fibrillation. INVESTMENT IN NSF = INVESTMENT IN ILLINOIS 1 Money Rates. “10 Best States for Making a Living.” 2 Research! America. “Global Health R&D” 3 Institute of Government and Public Affairs. “Impact Illinois” Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)  1527 Eighteenth Street, NW  Washington, DC  Illinois THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering. NSF supports the Blue Waters petascale computing project to produce a computer four times more powerful than any computer that exists today. Illinois is one of three earthquake research centers selected by NSF to extend understanding on the problems associated with low-frequency seismic events and reducing the potential earthquake losses to the central and eastern U.S. When ranked amongst universities alone, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks first in receiving NSF funding. Illinois ranks as “Best State to Make a Living” based upon relatively high average wages, a low state tax rate, and the below-average cost of living. 1 Being the 5th leading exporter in the United States, the state of Illinois has important ties globally. 2 Illinois ranks 8th in the nation for research and development research and 13th in federal research and development funding. 2 The University of Illinois pumps more than $13 billion into the state’s economy. 3 Researchers from the University of Illinois have started 48 companies, obtained over 230 patents, and disclosed 1,200 technologies. 2 “Research breakthroughs create industry in fields that were once unheard of, fueling new waves of jobs and prosperity.” -Michael J. Hogan President of University of Illinois Courtesy:

Illinois Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)  1527 Eighteenth Street, NW  Washington, DC  Since 1952, NSF has supported 45,000 graduate students through research fellowships. Illinois received $28 million in NSF educational funding in FY “Federally funded research is essential to our mission as a public research university. It increases our capacity to contribute to basic science and to find real-world solutions to pressing social and technical problems.” - Richard Wheeler, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost “In terms of cultivating the next generation of scientists, few programs can match the impact of the NSF. So, needless to say, we are elated that NSF has invested so much in [our] students’ futures and in their research here at Illinois.” -Ken Vickery, Director of External Fellowship in the Graduate College of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN ILLINOIS THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) not only funds cutting-edge research at institutions across the country; NSF’s education initiatives ensure the U.S. will remain a global leader in innovation for generations to come. University of Chicago participates in NSF funded research to understand spatial learning and use this knowledge to renovate educational practices and support all children to excel in STEM related fields. Tornado Alley, funded by NSF’s Informal Science Education, explores the science behind severe weather events, increases public understanding of meteorology, and showcases the research of VORTEX-2, a large-scale experiment to study tornadoes. NSF funding assists Project Exploration, a nonprofit science education organization, in expanding inner-city minority youth’s and girls’ interests in science. Students are enabled to explore science, develop leadership skills, and expand their minds to include science as a career option. Courtesy: