The Michigan Life Sciences Corridor is nearly five years old, just enough time for researchers and private industries to begin seeing the benefits of its early inception. The only problem thus far, though, is that while U-M, Wayne State and privatized industries are five years deep and gobbling up research grants, MSU researchers are stalled out and running low on funds.

Since generating $40 million in research grants from Life Sciences Corridor funding in 2001, MSU researchers have been awarded a paltry $2.3 million in the two years since. The Life Sciences Corridor, a state-funded cooperative between public state universities and private industries pursuing scientific breakthrough, also has seen brighter days, cutting grants given in 2003 nearly in half compared to the previous two years.

At face value, it appears that times are tough all over for the Life Sciences Corridor. The corridor has less money, as does MSU. Everyone seems to have the same problem when the state is in financial strife, so fewer research grants seem the logical consequence.

That context is a touch careless with the optimism, though. Of the $22.9 million in state research grants available in 2003, MSU netted about 10 percent. The year before, MSU researchers garnered nothing - zero of last year's more than $22.9 million budget.

Troubling, to say the least. MSU prides and preens itself on being a top-class research institution, on par with the rest of the country in merit and intellect. We're inclined to think that highly of ourselves, as well, but if we aren't being funded as such, how shall we calculate our self-image as top-notch researchers?

Before offering solutions, we'd like MSU students, staff and faculty to take a look at the circumstances surrounding the drop-off in grants. Wayne State and U-M have prestigious, highly regarded graduate schools. Not to say that MSU doesn't - see recent rankings - but those two schools in particular have a tradition of attracting graduate students as a first-choice option. MSU, primarily an undergraduate university, isn't in that class. To no detriment of resources or students our university produces, of course, but MSU simply is not in the same graduate school business as the one Wayne State and U-M are excelling in.

Furthermore, private industries steadily have been receiving more grants, while public universities are getting fewer. This includes a 35-percent jump for private researchers between 2001 and 2003. Keeping in mind that state government is forced to allocate money away from Life Sciences funding, it makes the MSU funding blow a bit softer.

So, how did this factor in to the proposed move of the medical school to Grand Rapids? How will the medical school's relationship with the Van Andel Research Institute - another beneficiary of Corridor funding - affect the amount that MSU researchers receive? The more numbers divulged, the more sensible the move to Grand Rapids is becoming.

A variety of factors look to have contributed to MSU's funding drop-off, but don't write off the institution itself - the university might be doing more to rectify this than you'd think. In Grand Rapids, of course.