$1.5 million to find out why your dick won't get hard.

$1.5million stimulus fund for improving honesty over erectile dysfunction is a big flop By Hannah Rand PUBLISHED: 12:37 EST, 16 May 2012 | UPDATED: 12:49 EST, 16 May 2012

Asking people to be honest about their sex lives has never been easy. Two grants from the federal stimulus program that were awarded to the University of California were meant to do just that. The taxpayer-funded sum of $1.5million is being used to investigate sexual health, particularly of overweight, middle-aged men.

Not stimulating: The University of California is under fire for its use of a $1.5million federal stimulus fund into erectile dysfunction research and sexual health The first grant is to study erectile dysfunction and obese men, and the second is to improve the accuracy over reporting of sexual history. The million dollar pot of taxpayers' money went to the university in 2010. But after two years of no findings, an investigation has been set up to find out why researchers have not risen to the occasion.

Some are asking why such a project needed over a million dollars, in a time when other groups are so strapped for cash. Scott Amey from the Project on Government Oversight, a government watchdog group, said the money may have been better placed elsewhere. 'I don't think most taxpayers would think that would be a justified spending of stimulus money to conduct a sex study over fixing bridges and roads that are crumbling every day,' he said. Important work: The San Francisco university says the research will reduce the current $147billion annual bill of obesity-related health matters [stock photo] NBC, who led the investigation, suggests that the study has not yet resulted in anything but overspending. The network states that 200 videotaped interviews, which were conducted as part of the research, cost $6,000 each. In a written statement, the university defended their use of the grants. 'Obesity-related health issues currently cost $147billion per year in direct medical costs in the United States... Health providers therefore continue to search for incentives to encourage people to live a healthier lifestyle, to benefit both individuals and society.' The statement also said that the research had been successful. 'Preliminary analysis indicates that is feasible to enroll men in this type of research, they successfully lose the expected weight over a 12-week period, and they see an improvement in ED symptoms.'