WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University generated more than $333 million in sponsored research funding during the past year, breaking previous records for the school and marking a 11 percent increase from a year earlier.

Much of the growth during the 2007-2008 fiscal year was fueled by a 36 percent jump in research activity at Discovery Park, the university announced Monday. The school also saw more money from federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, and Health and Human Services.

“These record figures affirm Purdue’s efforts to lead this revolution on university campuses to drive research that solves the world’s problems in health, science, energy, the environment and other areas,” said Alan H. Rebar, Purdue’s senior associate vice president for research and executive director of Discovery Park.

Purdue’s new six-year strategic plan calls for more research partnerships and infrastructure. The school has spent more than $150 million in new facilities and $25 million in laboratory equipment to launch Discovery Park — a 40-acre research complex.

Funded projects include a $17 million agreement between the National Nuclear Security Administration and a Purdue-based research center to work on commercial and defense applications. The Regenstrief Foundation is investing $11 million in a Purdue healthcare engineering center over the next five years.

Indiana University announced last week it also recorded a recording-breaking research year, taking in $525 million from grants and awards during the 2007-2008 fiscal year— a 21 percent increase from the previous 12 months.