Record research funding for UC Davis School of Medicine

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UC Davis School of Medicine researchers secured a record $439 million in external research funding last fiscal year - up 32% from the previous year. This funding supports trailblazing medical research ranging from basic science studies to clinical trials that help bring lifesaving treatments to patients.

In fiscal year 2025-26, UC Davis received a total of $953 million in external funding. The medical school received around 46% of this funding, making it the top recipient among all UC Davis colleges and schools.

In total, the school's researchers received 2,042 grant awards - a 29% increase from the year before.

"Funding research remains critical to advancing promising discoveries and transforming them into real-world breakthroughs that could save lives and improve quality of life," said Kim Barrett, vice dean for research at UC Davis School of Medicine. "Kudos to our university community, who stepped up in this time of challenge, submitted a record number of grant applications, and led numerous research studies and clinical trials."

Federal, state and industry funding

Public and private investments in university-based research have been a cornerstone of American prosperity, security and innovative leadership.

One key source of funding is the federal government. The medical school received around $234.7 million in federal funding, a 45% increase over the year before. According to the latest ranking by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the UC Davis School of Medicine is among the nation's leading medical schools in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding.

Professor Rachel Whitmer is leading the two largest federal grants (total of $19.8 million) at UC Davis. Her studies, funded by the NIH, focus on age-related dementia and cognitive impairment and brain pathology among different ethnic groups. Whitmer is a professor of public health sciences and neurology and co-directs the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

This year also marked the federal grant renewals to multiple UC Davis centers, including the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) ($10.8 million), Comprehensive Cancer Center($7.1 million) and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center ($6.4 million). These centers continue pursuing basic and translational science, developing treatments for cancer, dementia and other diseases, and mentoring the next generation of scientists.

At professor Yuanpei Li's lab, researchers use biomedical engineering approaches to develop innovative nanomedicine and molecular imaging agents to improve cancer treatments.

Funding from the state of California reached $30.3 million this year. The top state funding source was a grant of $15.8 million for the Statewide California Cancer Registry. This grant is led by Professor Ted Wun, director of CTSC.

This year marks a significant increase in industry funding (around 61%) with a total of $112.6 million. These funds mainly support clinical trials and studies to test potential treatments for various diseases and conditions. For example, Jonathan Riess is the site principal investigator of a $6.2 million grant for a cancer clinical trial sponsored by BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics. Riess is the medical director of Thoracic Oncology and an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology.

The medical school also received $61.1 million in funding from other sources.

Supporting early researchers and collaborations

This year, the school received 36 Research Career Development Awards (K-awards), an unprecedented number. These NIH awards help faculty develop careers as outstanding teacher-scholars and achieve independent research funding in the biomedical, behavioral or clinical sciences.

The school also made significant investments in supporting interdisciplinary research and promoting research seed funding.

"UC Davis School of Medicine has vastly expanded its pilot award programs to support early career researchers and interdisciplinary collaborations among our internationally recognized research community," said School of Medicine Dean Susan Murin. "Over the last five years, we've launched new initiatives fostering innovative research, offering seed funding programs, collaborations with the VA Northern California Health Care System, symposia support, bridge funding and many others."

Dean Susan Murin reflecting on a remarkable year of research achievements during the 2026 School of Medicine Research Celebration.

UC Davis extramural funding

Research investments allowed UC Davis to produce a wide range of scientific breakthroughs to improve health, enhance food supplies, protect the environment and empower a more resilient society. For example, last year, UC Davis researchers submitted 201 invention disclosures.

"UC Davis researchers continue to attract substantial investments based on deep expertise, unique collaborations and a long history of delivering impactful insight and solutions," said Simon J. Atkinson, vice chancellor for research at UC Davis. "Despite significant funding uncertainty and regulatory change, our faculty and staff have drawn on their passion and ingenuity to keep their important - often life-changing - work moving forward."

Learn more about how public investment in UC Davis research powers innovation, strengthens the economy and advances human health in From Labs to Lives. A detailed breakdown of the funding sources can be viewed in 2026 Annual Research Impact Report.

Discover more School of Medicine research stories.