The University of Iowa raised nearly 353 million dollars in grants and business contracts to finance research at the Iowa City-based institution. The majority of that came from the federal government. Bill Decker, interim V.P. for research at the university. Decker says the University of Iowa has once again reached a “successful point” in fundraising for research. The fundraising total is for fiscal year 2003, which ran from July 1st last year to June 30th of this year. Fundraisers drew in four-point-three percent more grants and contracts than the previous fiscal year.Decker says there’s been “steady” and perhaps “accelerating growth” in fundraising at the University of Iowa over the past few years. Iowa State University officials say they raised more than 230-million dollars in the just-concluded fiscal year for research. It’s a record high and an increase of two-point-two percent over the previous year. I-S-U’s vice provost for research says the research grants help provide students with valuable, hands-on research experience, as well as jobs.