The growth rate of science and engineering (S&E) research space at US biomedical institutions declined 2.2% from fiscal year (FY) 2007 to FY 2009 to comprise 21.8 million net assignable square feet (NASF), according to the NSF’s latest “Science and Engineering Research Facilities” report. The report reflects the latest in a series of surveys that the NSF conducts every two years, as mandated by Congress, to examine the amount of S&E research space at eligible US colleges, universities and nonprofit biomedical research institutions. For the current report, data was collected between October 2009 and April 2010 from 171 independent hospitals and nonprofit biomedical organizations that received at least $1 million in research funding from the NIH in 2008. One hundred twenty of the reporting institutions were research institutions, and 51 were hospitals. The report also includes academic research space information, which was detailed earlier this year in IBO (see IBO 5/31/11).

The NSF defines research space as “space in buildings within which research activities take place.” Research space for S&E at biomedical institutions in three of the four selected fields (see chart, page 6) did not increase between FY07 and FY09. However, research space for the biological and biomedical sciences increased 7.5% to account for 15.8 million NASF, or 72% of total S&E research space at biomedical research institutions in FY09. Agricultural and natural resources research space stayed steady at 100,000 NASF in FY09, comprising less than 1% of total S&E research space at biomedical institutions. Conversely, physical sciences NASF fell a massive 75.0% to 1% of research space at biomedical institutions. Under the physical sciences umbrella, earth, atmospheric and ocean sciences research space at biomedical institutions remained the same at 100,000 NASF, while astronomy, chemistry and physics research space declined 81.8% to comprise 200,000 NASF. Health and clinical sciences research space at biomedical institutions also declined in FY09, falling 20.0% from FY07 to total 3.6 million NASF. The field comprised 16% of total S&E research space at biomedical institutions in FY09.

The NSF lists research animal space as its own category in the report, even though it is included in individual field totals as well. Research animal space accounted for 13% of research space at biomedical institutions in FY09, or 2.9 million NASF, a 6.5% decrease from fiscal 2007. Four percent each of research institutions and hospitals started new construction of animal research space in FY09.

Nineteen biomedical institutions plan to start construction of research space in FY11, an increase of 11.8% from FY09. Of those, 14 are research institutions—a 6.7%, 33.3% and 36.4% decrease from the number of research institutions that began construction in FY09, FY07 and FY05, respectively. Five hospitals have plans to build research space, more than double the number that began construction in fiscal 2009 but 64.3% and 54.5% less than in fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2005, respectively.

Despite the increase in the number of biomedical institutions planning to build new S&E research space in FY11, the amount of NASF set to be constructed is the lowest compared with the three previous two-year survey periods. Just 400,000 NASF of new research space at biomedical institutions is planned for FY11, a decrease of 33.3%, 81.8% and 71.4% from the NASF for which construction started in FY09, FY07 and FY05, respectively.

Compared with hospitals, research institutions are responsible for the majority of NASF of research space at biomedical institutions that will start to be built in FY11. However, the 400,000 NASF of research space planned at research institutions for FY11 is a decline of 20.0%, 60.0% and 33.3% from construction began in FY09, FY07 and FY05, respectively. Less than 50,000 NASF of FY11 research space construction is planned for hospitals, a decline from 100,000 NASF, 1.2 million NASF and 700,000 NASF of research space that started construction in FY09, FY07 and FY05, respectively. The NSF cannot determine the percentage change for hospitals since less than 50,000 NASF of research space at hospitals is planned.

Fifteen biomedical institutions plan to start to build research space for the biological and biomedical sciences in FY11, the same amount as started construction in FY09 and half as many as did so in FY07. Although 75% of the total NASF of research space at biomedical institutions that will begin being built in FY11 is for biological and biomedical sciences, this is 40.0% less than in FY09. The planned amount for FY11, 300,000 NASF, is a drop of 85.7% from FY07 levels.

Fiscal 2011 also marks the first time in the last three two-year survey periods that no biomedical institutions plan to construct research space for agricultural and natural resources sciences. Only one biomedical institution in each of the previous two-year periods embarked on such construction. There are also no plans to build physical sciences research space in FY11. No physical sciences construction was started in FY09, and only two institutions started to build physical sciences research space in FY07. Two biomedical institutions plan to start construction in FY11 of research space for health and clinical sciences, the same number as both previous reporting periods, but the amount to be built is less than 50,000 NASF of research space.

A notable share of biomedical institutions began repair or renovation projects on research space in fiscal 2009. Thirty-six percent of biomedical institutions started such projects in FY09. Of these, 32% of research institutions and 44% of hospitals began such projects. Twenty-one percent of biomedical institutions started repair or renovation projects of research animal space in fiscal 2009, including 19% of research institutions and 25% of hospitals.

In contrast to the lack of new NASF of research space at biomedical institutions for the selected fields, aside from biological and biomedical sciences, from FY07 to FY09, the NASF of research space at academic institutions grew in all selected fields. For both academic and biomedical institutions, biological and biomedical sciences was the fastest-growing field for research space. In FY09, the NASF for this field accounted for 25% of total academic research space and 72% of total biomedical research space. However, less NASF of research-space construction for this field is planned for fiscal 2011 at both academic and biomedical institutions compared with fiscal 2009. Whereas the drop in the amount of planned NASF construction of research space for the biological and biomedical sciences at biomedical institutions from FY09 to FY11 is 40.0%, the decline at academic institutions is much less severe at only 2.9%.

 Pie Chart: Share of Biomedical Research Space by Field, FY09

 Bio. Sci.            72%

 Ag. & Nat. Res. Sci.  1%

 Phys. Sci             1%

 Health & Clin. Sci.  16%

 Other Sci.           10%

 Column Chart: Research Space at Academic and Biomedical Institutions, FY05–FY07

                    FY05            FY07            FY09

 Academic    185,100,000     187,900,000     196,100,000

 Biomedical   21,900,000      22,300,000      21,800,000