WSU Breaks Top 20 HERD List For R&D Funding In Engineering

Posted January 15, 2024

The National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey (HERD) shows which American institutions conducted the nation’s most industry-funded research and development. Based on the data, one Kansas institution is leading the charge.

Released in November, the HERD measures the annual funding American institutions receive. For the fiscal year 2022, American institutions’ expenditures totaled $97 billion.

Also in FY 2022, Wichita State University moved up seven places to the No. 13 ranking on the total and federally financed higher education R&D expenditures in engineering. Wichita State reported engineering R&D total expenditures of $226 million. That is up from $157 million in 2021 and $134 million in 2020, according to the university.

Additionally, Wichita State ranks third in all funds for aerospace engineering R&D with $219.7 million.

A list of the top 20 universities, ranked by total engineering R&D in FY 2022 include;

1. Johns Hopkins University — $1.3 billion
2. Georgia Institute of Technology — $936 million
3. SUNY, Polytechnic Institute — $412 million
4. Texas A&M University., College Station and Health Science Center — $403 million
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — $398 million
6. Pennsylvania State University, University Park and Hershey Medical Center — $386 million
7. University of Texas — $320 million
8. Purdue University — $312 million
9. University of Michigan — $299 million
10. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University — $260 million
11. Utah State University — $259 million
12. University of Illinois — $229 million
13. Wichita State University — $226 million
14. Ohio State University — $219 million
15. University of California, San Diego — $213 million
16. University of California, Berkeley — $207 million
17. University of Dayton — $196 million
18. Arizona State University — $193 million
19. University of Colorado — $192 million
20. University of Washington — $172 million

Important to note that 17 of these 20 institutions are public colleges and universities, excluding Johns Hopkins, MIT and the University of Dayton which are all private institutions.

Kansas & Missouri Institutions

Here has other universities in the bi-state region stacked up?
The closest to the top was the University of Missouri, Columbia, coming in at the No. 55 spot with $78.5 million in R&D expenditures, up $21.8 million compared to FY 2021.

Next is the Missouri University of Science and Technology ranked at No. 97 with $43 million in R&D expenditures, down by $351,000 in FY 2021.
On the Kansas side, Kansas State University leads with a moderate ranking in the No. 122 spot with a recorded $30 million, up compared to FY 2021 expenditures reaching $27.7 million.

Kansas University topped at No. 122 with $22.1 million in R&D expenditures, up by $712,000 in FY 2021.

Finally, Kansas City’s own University of Missouri, Kansas City claimed the No. 162 ranking with total R&D expenditures reaching $12.2 million, more than $3 million more compared to FY 2021.