A fund that takes money from South Carolina's drunken drivers and gives it to spinal cord researchers has collected $1.4 million in a little more than two years.

The Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund, based at the Medical University of South Carolina, has awarded eight research projects totaling $720,511. It is asking for proposals in a second round in which it will give out around $1 million by July.

"That's a substantial amount of money," said state Sen. Arthur Ravenel, R-Mount Pleasant. "The bad news is, there are still that many DUI convictions."

The General Assembly established the fund in July 2000 in response to the state's annual rate of spinal cord injuries, which were 22 percent higher than the national average.

Two-thirds of those injuries are to people in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 20 and 54. Fifty-eight percent of spinal cord injuries are vehicle-related. Lawmakers felt it appropriate to add a $100 surcharge on DUI convictions, with that money going into the research fund.

A seven-member board oversees the fund. The governor appoints its members at the recommendation of the president of MUSC, which administers the fund. But the money goes to all three of the state's research institutions.

Among the projects in the first round of awards is a statewide educational conference targeting people with spinal cord injuries and their families.

Also, one-time expenditures went toward equipment researchers can use to evaluate neurobiology of spinal cord injury, and research infrastructure, including a Web page, a database and establishing a review process for future grants.

Officials believe the infrastructure was necessary to attract spinal cord researchers, and the fund was able to attract two to oversee the scientific operation.

James Krause, the new chair of MUSC's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department, is the scientific director. A spinal cord injury left Krause a quadriplegic at 16. Mark Kindy is the associate scientific director.

"We're taking a negative situation and turning it into a positive one," said Dr. Brian Cuddy, a Charleston neurosurgeon who chairs the fund's board. He said that the board controls the funding mechanisms, which can change over time.

Jonathan Maze covers health care and technology. Reach him at jmaze@postandcourier.com or 937-5719.