UND's Energy and Environmental Research Center reported another record year of contracts, the center's sixth consecutive record year.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, contracts totaled $43.9 million, the EERC said.
That's up 11.1 percent from the year before.
Gerry Groenewold, the center's director, said he's projecting contracts totaling $47 million to $48 million in this fiscal year.
"We're in the right place at the right time with the right reputation," he said. "The world is coming here." The EERC has spent years building up the right expertise in fields that where it anticipates there will be strong demand, he said, and with energy and environmental issues at the forefront, it's time for the center to shine.
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Last fiscal year, for example, the EERC was involved in everything from algae-based rocket fuel -- it actually made the fuel and launched a rocket -- to helping reduce oil companies' usage of scarce water out in Western North Dakota, to what Groenewold called the world's biggest carbon dioxide sequestration project.
All of the EERC's revenues come from competing for federal and private contracts, he said, 45 percent from federal sources and 55 percent from private.
As with the rest of the university, the EERC touts its economic impact, including more than 330 employees and an impact of more than $137 million on the region. Pay is higher than the area average because most of the staff is made up of professional engineers and researchers.
Groenewold said the EERC is advertising 17 new positions that average about $70,000, not including benefits. As the center adds new facilities, he said, he plans to hire another 100.
Reach Tran at (701) 780-1248; (800) 477-6572, ext. 248; or send e-mail to ttran@gfherald.com .
