CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Officials at West Virginia University and Marshall University say they're staying optimistic about the Bucks for Brains program, even as the economy takes a nosedive during their first year of fundraising.

The $50 million program - formally called the West Virginia Research Trust Fund - is designed to attract top research talent to the two schools by matching state dollars to corporate and private donations.

When state legislators approved the program in March, they set aside $35 million for WVU and $15 million for Marshall. Each school has five years to raise the money, which is invested in research with faculty hires and new equipment.

As the year winds down, it might be too early to tell how donors will react, higher education officials say.

Many donors give at the end of a calendar year for tax purposes, said Paul Hill, vice chancellor for research at the state's Higher Education Policy Commission.

"We are likely to know by early 2009 if there will be a significant impact this year and begin to see what the effects will be next year," Hill said.

Lyn Dotson, vice president for development at the WVU Foundation, also said no one would have a clear picture until at least early next year.

"Without question, it is going to impact [giving]," Dotson said. "We know that. But the degree of it...we're just not going to know yet."

The current economic downturn is different than past ones because of the uncertainty of it all, Dotson added.

"No one can predict what's going to happen and where it's going, and the magnitude of it," he said. "That causes people and corporations to say, 'I need to be careful.'"

WVU's research will focus on the areas of energy and environmental sciences; nanotechnology and material science; biotech and biomedical sciences; and biometrics.

Development officers emphasize to potential donors that research can help boost the state economy, Dotson said.

"When you make a gift," he said, "it's an investment."

The Bucks for Brains program's big advantage is that it is a matching program, several people said. And the money is invested in an endowment, where only the interest will be spent.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Officials at West Virginia University and Marshall University say they're staying optimistic about the Bucks for Brains program, even as the economy takes a nosedive during their first year of fundraising.

The $50 million program - formally called the West Virginia Research Trust Fund - is designed to attract top research talent to the two schools by matching state dollars to corporate and private donations.

When state legislators approved the program in March, they set aside $35 million for WVU and $15 million for Marshall. Each school has five years to raise the money, which is invested in research with faculty hires and new equipment.

As the year winds down, it might be too early to tell how donors will react, higher education officials say.

Many donors give at the end of a calendar year for tax purposes, said Paul Hill, vice chancellor for research at the state's Higher Education Policy Commission.

"We are likely to know by early 2009 if there will be a significant impact this year and begin to see what the effects will be next year," Hill said.

Lyn Dotson, vice president for development at the WVU Foundation, also said no one would have a clear picture until at least early next year.

"Without question, it is going to impact [giving]," Dotson said. "We know that. But the degree of it...we're just not going to know yet."

The current economic downturn is different than past ones because of the uncertainty of it all, Dotson added.

"No one can predict what's going to happen and where it's going, and the magnitude of it," he said. "That causes people and corporations to say, 'I need to be careful.'"

WVU's research will focus on the areas of energy and environmental sciences; nanotechnology and material science; biotech and biomedical sciences; and biometrics.

Development officers emphasize to potential donors that research can help boost the state economy, Dotson said.

"When you make a gift," he said, "it's an investment."

The Bucks for Brains program's big advantage is that it is a matching program, several people said. And the money is invested in an endowment, where only the interest will be spent.

"It's a very targeted, very highly leveraged program, so this is certainly much more attractive to the donors," said John Maher, director of the Marshall University Research Corporation.

Marshall is focusing on its Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, and hired its first lead scientist, University of Delaware biology professor Eric Kmiec, earlier this fall. Kmiec, a pioneer in gene repair, is scheduled to start in January.

"We think we're really doing pretty well right now," Maher said. "People are certainly not walking away from these discussions."

Marshall has raised $250,000 so far, said Ron Area, CEO of the Marshall University Foundation.

"What I have been sharing with my development staff is, we still need to be out there developing relationships," Area said. "Some of our major prospects might not be willing to commit right now, but when the economy turns - and it will turn - we just need to be there."

WVU has not released figures on how much it's raised.

Neither school has yet requested matching funds from the state, which will be public record, Hill said.

"I do expect [the disbursement of state funds] to begin any time now," he said.

Officials are quick to say that many Americans keep giving even in tough times.

"This is a very generous country," Dotson said.

When the economy soured after Sept. 11, 2001, WVU was in the midst of a capital campaign, Dotson said.

Larger gifts slowed down, and some people didn't pay off their pledges on time. But the campaign bounced back, and ended up being "very successful," Dotson said.

"We're confident we will work through this," he said.

Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com">alis...@wvgazette.com or 348-1240.