University R&D spending for engineering jumps

WASHINGTON – University spending on engineering research rose 7.7 percent in fiscal 2011, the National Science Foundation found, a total that was surpassed only by academic life sciences R&D.

A report released by NSF this week (Nov. 26) found that university engineering R&D totaled $10 billion in 2011. Life sciences research led the way with a 6.6 percent increase over the previous year to $37.2 billion.

Overall, university R&D spending rose 6.3 percent in fiscal 2011 to $65 billion. NSF said 2009 economic stimulus funds totaling $4.2 billion accounted for most of the increase. The totals also include private sector investment in university R&D.

Electrical engineering received the most university R&D spending during the period, jumping 7.6 percent from fiscal 2010 to just over $2.2 billion in fiscal 2011, NSF said.

Private sector funding of university engineering research jumped by 25.9 percent during the period covered by the NSF report while non-profit organizations accounted for 8.8 percent of the $10 billion invested in engineering R&D at U.S. universities.

Johns Hopkins University lead all U.S. schools in R&D spending during fiscal 2011, followed in rank order by the University of Michigan, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin and Duke University. Research powerhouses Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked ninth and 20th, respectively.

Click here to see more details from the NSF report.

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