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Innovation is alive and well on campus as R&D on campus is seeing increased investment by college and university leaders. Academic institutions spent $89.9 billion on research and development in math, science, engineering and other major fields during FY 2021, an increase of $3.4 billion from 2020, according to the latest data from the National Science Foundation.
Higher ed R&D got a jolt from the largest increase in federal R&D spending since 2011, when Great Recession relief funding came to the rescue. Campus leaders also reported increases in state and local contributions though nonprofit spending dropped, according to the latest Higher Education Research and Development Survey .
The top 30 R&D universities—more than half of which were public institutions—accounted for 42% of total R&D spending, a number that has remained consistent over the last several years. Twenty-four of those universities invested more than $1 billion and all but three reported R&D expenditures for their medical schools.
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Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center moved into the top 30 (see the full list below) after making changes to their accounting systems while the University of California, Berkeley fell off the list. More effective accounting also helped Ohio State University make a big jump—from No. 24 to No. 12.
Institutions that dropped down the list include the University of Minnesota, which slipped two positions even though the flagship spent $31 million more on R&D in 2021. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology moved down six positions to No. 29 after a decrease in R&D spending.
Check the chart below for R&D spending in specific academic fields:
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Herd survey reveals top u.s. universities for r&d funding in engineering.
American universities totaled more than $15 billion in R&D funding in engineering in FY 22, ... [+] according to the National Science Foundation.
Which American universities conduct the most sponsored research in engineering and its various subfields such as chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering? The definitive answer to that question can be found in the latest Higher Education Research and Development Survey .
Released by the National Science Foundation on Nov. 30, 2023, the HERD survey measures the dollars spent annually on research and development at American colleges and universities.
Total R&D expenditures at American colleges and universities topped $97 billion in Fiscal Year 2022, an increase of more than $8 billion over FY 2021, making it the largest annual growth on record as measured in current dollars.
Sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within NSF, the HERD survey collected R&D expenditures from 900 universities and colleges that grant a bachelor’s degree or higher and expended at least $150,000 in R&D in the prior fiscal year. For most of the surveyed institutions, FY 2022 covered the period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
The HERD survey summarizes the federal, state, industry and other funds a university spends on all its research activities, and it also breaks those expenditures out by ten major fields: computer and information sciences; engineering; geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences; life sciences; mathematics and statistics; physical sciences; psychology; social sciences; other sciences; and non-science and engineering (fields like education, law and the humanities).
The 25 colleges with the highest payoff, the new ivies for 2024.
Of the total R&D expenditures in fiscal year 2022, $15.6 billion was in engineering, more than 60% of which came from federal agencies ($9.7 billion). The top 10 universities, ranked by total engineering R&D in FY22 were:
Johns Hopkins University: $1.3 billion
Georgia Institute of Technology: $936 million
SUNY, Polytechnic Institute: $412 million
Texas A&M University., College Station and Health Science Center: $403 million
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $398 million
Pennsylvania State University, University Park and Hershey Medical Center: $386 million
University of Texas: $320 million
Purdue University: $312 million
University of Michigan: $299 million
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: $260 million
Rounding out the top 20 were:
Utah State University: $259 million
University of Illinois: $229 million
Wichita State University: $226 million
Ohio State University: $219 million
University of California, San Diego: $213 million
University of California, Berkeley: $207 million
University of Dayton: $196 million
Arizona State University: $193 million
University of Colorado: $192 million
University of Washington: $172 million
Research expenditures topped $1 billion in six of the eight engineering subfields that are reported. Here are those subfields and the top five universities for R&D spending in each:
Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering: $3.437 billion
Mechanical engineering: $2.063 billion
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering: $1.726 billion
Civil engineering: $1.647 billion
Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering: $1.647 billion
Chemical engineering: $1.108 billion
Unlike many university rankings, which tend to be dominated by private institutions, 17 of the 20 top universities in R&D engineering expenditures are public institutions (Johns Hopkins, MIT and the University of Dayton are private). The leading universities also show considerable geographic spread, an important distribution given the value of engineering discoveries, inventions and technology to a region’s economic development.
Six universities ranked in the top five in two or more of the engineering subfields with $1 billion or more in expenditures: Georgia Tech (5), Johns Hopkins (4), University of Texas (3), MIT (2), Penn State (2), and the University of California, San Diego (2). Eighteen different institutions (15 publics) were represented in the top five schools across those six subfields.
R&D expenditures are not the only way to measure the heft of an institution’s engineering contributions. Publications in refereed journals; the number of Ph.D.’s awarded and the number of post-docs trained; citation counts; scholarly honors and awards; patents, licenses and the commercialization of intellectual property; and the post-degree careers of both undergraduate and graduate students are other quantifiable outcomes that reflect a university’s cumulative impact.
However, research expenditures carry a particular significance in measuring an institution’s overall contributions to a field of study, particularly in STEM disciplines. Because federal dollars, which constitute the largest share of external funding, are awarded through a competitive process involving peer review, R&D expenditures indicate a professional consensus about the potential worth of proposed research and a judgment about what work is likely to advance basic understanding and useful applications.
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The Ohio State University
University now ranks 7th among public institutions, 12th overall, in research expenditures.
The Ohio State University’s record-breaking research and development expenditures in 2021 helped boost the university’s standing among research universities nationwide, according to a new survey by the National Science Foundation.
Ohio State is ranked 12th among all universities in overall research expenditures in fiscal year (FY) 2021, an increase of 12 positions from a previous ranking of 24th in FY2020. The university ranking also increased among public colleges and universities, moving up from 15th in 2020 to 7th in 2021.
The NSF’s annual Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey rankings show that Ohio State’s research and creative expression community conducted $1.236 billion in research and development expenditures in FY2021.
“Ohio State has an ambitious goal to double research and development expenditures over the next decade to address societal challenges and improve people’s lives. Our advancing rankings among our peer institutions are proof of the hard work and relentless innovation on the part of our faculty, students and staff,” said Peter Mohler, vice president for research at Ohio State.
“The university has long been committed to groundbreaking, convergent research to advance robotics, artificial intelligence, biomedical sciences and other fields of research and creative expression,” said Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, Ohio State's vice president for knowledge enterprise. “While we are pleased to see this recognition, our effort to use science and discovery to solve large, complex societal challenges continues unabated.”
For industry-sponsored research, Ohio State is 6th among all universities, with $129.9 million in expenditures.
Overall, research and development spending by academic institutions in the United States totaled $89.9 billion in FY 2021, an increase of $3.4 billion (4%) from FY 2020.
The HERD survey is the primary source of information on research and development expenditures at U.S. colleges and universities. The survey collects information on research and development expenditures by field of research and source of funds and gathers information on types of research, expenses and personnel.
Year over year, federal research spending at Ohio State grew 7.7%, from $539 million in FY 2020 to $581 million in FY 2021. Ohio State’s institutional investment in research grew to $404 million in FY 2021, up from $152 million the previous fiscal year.
The university said that in addition to increased university investment in FY 2021, better alignment across colleges, units and affiliated entities allowed Ohio State to identify additional institutional investment that was previously not reported as part of the HERD survey.
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With more than $1.27 billion in annual R&D spending, NYU jumped into the top 15 nationally, and is #7 among private universities
For the first time, NYU leads New York City universities in annual research spending according to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) annual HERD survey. NYU had the greatest climb in rankings among the top 50 U.S. research universities, moving up eight spots to #15 nationally and #7 among private universities.
“NYU is really proud of this achievement. Our research enterprise—across all of our schools and locations—continues its strong trajectory of growth, and thanks to the ongoing efforts of many across NYU, has proven to be a powerhouse of innovation and impact,” said Stacie Grossman Bloom, NYU’s vice provost for research and chief research officer.
Each year, the NSF conducts the Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey to measure annual research spending at U.S. colleges and universities, a key measure of a university’s research performance. The latest analysis, covering fiscal year 2022, shows NYU’s research expenditures increased by 20% to exceed $1.27 billion—a sharper increase than any other U.S. institution ranked in the top 50—and marks the second year in a row that NYU has exceeded $1 billion in research spending.
Year-over-year growth was strong for both the Grossman School of Medicine / NYU Langone (18%) and the University (24%). Funding for geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences research at NYU grew 83% from last year. Expenditures in math and statistics, social sciences, and engineering also all grew by more than 20%.
Examples of notable research projects that contributed to NYU’s growth in funding include:
“The NSF data demonstrate our researchers’ ability to attract significant funding from government, industry, and non-profit sources, and for that funding to spur breakthroughs in areas ranging from artificial intelligence and public health to applied social sciences, the arts, and humanities,” added Bloom.
Dec. 16, 2022
New ranking from the national science foundation is achieved ahead of the schedule set by the university., share this story.
By A.J. Hostetler Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health
Bolstered in part by the intense drive to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia Commonwealth University now ranks among the top 50 public research universities in the United States for the first time.
The National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development fiscal year 2021 survey , released Thursday, ranks VCU as No. 50 in the country for fiscal research expenditures. Reaching this ranking comes well ahead of the timeline set out by VCU’s Quest 2028 goals. VCU ranked No. 58 last year.
“The importance of this achievement is more than just hitting a target number,” said Michael Rao, Ph.D., president of VCU and VCU Health System. “The NSF ranking shows where VCU stands related to our peers and more importantly, to how far and fast we’ve come. Our growth is one of the fastest among Virginia universities and demonstrates our impact and continued success and stature as a public research university committed to transformative innovation. We are in a unique position to influence the long-term economic, social and physical health and well-being of the communities we serve.”
“Our new ranking reflects the talented researchers and scholars who conduct collaborative, transformational and outstanding research, as well as the engagement of VCU’s dedicated staff, postdoctoral trainees and students who help facilitate VCU's increased national and global prominence,” said P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation at VCU.
The National Science Foundation calculates expenditures based on the portion of awarded research grants from various institutions, initiatives, endowments and foundations spent in a fiscal year. The remaining grant amounts carry over to future years. In this annual survey, the NSF defines research and development funding as expenditures from all funding types related to creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge, including STEM, health, arts and humanities faculty.
The NSF HERD ranking typically follows the announcement of total sponsored programs activity by 12 to 18 months. In FY21, VCU received a then-institutional record $363 million in sponsored program activity. Industry funding accounted for $56.6 million, including $32.5 million for clinical trials. Earlier this fall, VCU announced that the university had passed the $400 million mark for sponsored program activities, and VCU’s finalized total for FY22 is now $405.6 million , a nearly 50% increase from FY18.
“I expect our current upward trend in sponsored funding to continue,” Vice President Rao. “This means that more students and other trainees will have the opportunity to contribute to research led by our top faculty and outstanding scholars in various fields of arts, engineering, humanities, social sciences and medicine. They can in turn engage with the community and share newly acquired knowledge to promote innovation for the public good.”
VCU’s inventive faculty have a strong impact on Richmond, Virginia and beyond. In FY 2021, 27 patents were issued and 24 inventions were licensed or optioned, with seven start-ups launched, to advance transformative innovation and enhance the economic and social well-being of the region. One such licensed invention is a potentially life-saving therapeutic that could work against variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The new ranking recognizes the university’s investment in research aligned with the four initiatives that ground the One VCU Research Strategic Priorities Plan , designed to capitalize on VCU strengths to shape the future through transformative innovation. For example, the university earlier this year encouraged team-based efforts among VCU’s diverse community of research leaders on its campuses, including VCUarts Qatar, providing nearly $4.4 million in new internal funding to 55 transdisciplinary projects to address societal grand challenges.
Based on federally financed research and development expenditures for FY21, several of VCU’s research areas featured in the top 100 of the national rankings among all public research universities and include:
In FY 2021, VCU received a $16 million gift to the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research aimed at fostering collaborative science and health care research among VCU investigators and students. New federal funding that year also allowed VCU’s oyster shell recycling program to expand the community project into Northern Virginia, helping to replace oyster beds that play a critical role in sustaining the Chesapeake Bay.
VCU received several impactful federal grant renewals to address societal challenges. One such renewal funds the pursuit of developing a drug to target a specific, tumor-growing protein that causes pancreatic cancer. Another renewal continues VCU’s investigations into the genetic components of alcohol use disorder. VCU’s Medicines for All Institute is partnering with a Richmond-based firm, Phlow Corp., on a $354 million federal contract to secure the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain.
“The foundation of our strength is our collaborative community of field-shapers with diverse experiences among our three campuses, including VCUarts Qatar,” Vice President Rao said. “We see this in the effort going into the creation of the new Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health. Collaboration among disciplines is essential for achieving transformative innovation that impacts our community, nation and even our world.”
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Article by UDaily Staff Photo by Evan Krape September 09, 2024
The University of Delaware ranks #26 overall among 500 colleges and universities nationwide and #10 out of 235 in best public universities, according to The Wall Street Journal ’s 2025 WSJ/College Pulse best colleges in the U.S. rankings . The 2025 rankings reflect immense growth in UD’s accomplishments and reputation, rising from #86 overall in the nation in the 2024 survey .
“This prominent recognition by The Wall Street Journal of the University of Delaware’s excellence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our outstanding faculty and staff to prepare our students for success in their careers and throughout their lives,” said President Dennis Assanis. “Student success has always been — and will continue to be — a critical focus for the University.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, the ranking “measures how well each college sets graduates up for financial success. We look at how much a school improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings, balancing these outcomes with feedback from students on college life.”
Over the past two years, the WSJ/College Pulse survey has increased its focus on the importance of student outcomes, primarily graduation rates and graduates’ salaries. The survey puts more emphasis on the value added by colleges and universities — not only students’ success but also the contribution the institution makes to that success.
Assanis noted that these metrics in the survey recognize the advancements that UD has made over the past several years.
“I’m extraordinarily proud of the investments we have made in strengthening our faculty ranks, providing accessible pathways for students to achieve their educational goals, expanding our research enterprise to propel discovery and innovation in so many critical fields, and engaging with people here in Delaware and around the world to help solve our most complex challenges,” Assanis said. “We will continue to build on these achievements to make an even greater impact on the future.”
In the WSJ/College Pulse survey, UD also ranked #48 for best salaries and #86 for best value .
UD boasts a 73% four-year graduation rate, which is among the best in the nation, according to the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS 2022-23 graduation rates survey. Additionally, 94% of students are employed or continuing their education within six months of their graduation from UD.
In August, UD also made The Princeton Review ’s Best 390 Colleges list for 2025. UD was listed among the top colleges for Best Value and Best Mid-Atlantic colleges. UD’s excellent entrepreneurship programs were also recognized as #3 in the Mid-Atlantic and in the top 50 nationally.
A complete listing of UD’s high-profile rankings is available on UD’s Institutional Research and Effectiveness Rankings webpage . Please note that programs and specialties used in rankings might vary slightly from the names of degree programs used by UD.
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CHICAGO, September 9, 2024 — A new report examining methodologies used in various rankings of U.S. colleges and universities provides recommendations to support transparent evaluation of higher education institutions.
For decades, college rankings have sought to distill many abstract qualities into a digestible, numbered list. For this analysis, researchers reviewed the methodologies of five popular rankings to assess whether they accurately capture the qualities that form an overall “ranking.”
The analysis was independently conducted by researchers from NORC at the University of Chicago, a 501c3 organization. Funding for the analysis was provided by the Vanderbilt University Office of the Chancellor.
Key findings include:
NORC’s analysis provides recommendations to significantly enhance clarity and transparency in the assessment and ranking process, such as convening higher education experts and other stakeholders to establish common standards, measures, and definitions for future college rankings.
NORC is an independent affiliate of the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago was not involved in this research at any stage, including commissioning the analysis, conducting the methodological review, synthesizing findings, or forming recommendations.
Explore the Project
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
www.norc.org
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).
Research and development: u.s. trends and international comparisons.
Two key indicators of national R&D performance are gross domestic expenditures on R&D (GERD)—a measure of a country’s total R&D investment—and national R&D intensity (GERD-to-GDP ratio)—a measure of a country’s investment in R&D relative to its overall economic activity. Together, they paint a broad picture of the current distribution of global R&D activities and the changing global R&D landscape as countries build capabilities in science and technology to improve their national economy and society.
This section compares R&D performance in the United States with other major R&D-performing nations globally, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom as well as key regional and geopolitical groupings, such as the European Union (EU-27) and East-Southeast and South Asia. It also presents cross-national analyses of trends in the composition of R&D by sector and by R&D type.
The national R&D expenditures presented in this report are from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Main Science and Technology Indicators and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics. The global R&D total is estimated by NCSES based on these sources and reflects R&D performance by 119 countries with reported annual R&D expenditures of $50 million or more. Main Science and Technology Indicators (September 2021 edition) and from R&D statistics for additional countries assembled by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (March 2021 release). Presently, no database on R&D spending is comprehensive and consistent for all nations performing R&D. The OECD and UNESCO databases together provide R&D performance statistics for 163 countries, although the data are not current or complete for all. NCSES’s estimate of total global R&D reflects 119 countries, with reported annual R&D expenditures at or above \$50 million annually, which accounts for most of the current global R&D." data-bs-content="NCSES’s estimates for total global R&D are based on OECD’s Main Science and Technology Indicators (September 2021 edition) and from R&D statistics for additional countries assembled by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (March 2021 release). Presently, no database on R&D spending is comprehensive and consistent for all nations performing R&D. The OECD and UNESCO databases together provide R&D performance statistics for 163 countries, although the data are not current or complete for all. NCSES’s estimate of total global R&D reflects 119 countries, with reported annual R&D expenditures at or above \$50 million annually, which accounts for most of the current global R&D." data-endnote-uuid="fdd3a1ee-d294-44c2-80ae-2e2eab5b201a"> NCSES’s estimates for total global R&D are based on OECD’s Main Science and Technology Indicators (September 2021 edition) and from R&D statistics for additional countries assembled by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (March 2021 release). Presently, no database on R&D spending is comprehensive and consistent for all nations performing R&D. The OECD and UNESCO databases together provide R&D performance statistics for 163 countries, although the data are not current or complete for all. NCSES’s estimate of total global R&D reflects 119 countries, with reported annual R&D expenditures at or above $50 million annually, which accounts for most of the current global R&D. These countries account for most of the current global R&D.
R&D expenditures for all countries are reported in current U.S. dollars (not adjusted for inflation) using purchasing power parities (PPPs). PPPs convert different currencies to a common currency while adjusting for differences in price levels between economies. The use of PPPs thus enables direct comparisons of R&D expenditures across countries. (See the Technical Appendix for more details.)
The regional analysis focuses on the regions with the largest R&D expenditures: North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (including the EU-27 member countries), and the portion of Asia that includes the regions of East-Southeast Asia (including China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan), and South Asia (including India and Pakistan). The groupings of countries into regions are from The World Factbook (CIA 2021) .
Country and regional patterns in total national r&d, 2019.
The estimated total for global R&D expenditures in 2019 is just over $2.4 trillion ( Figure RD-5 ). Global R&D performance is concentrated in the following geographic regions: East-Southeast and South Asia (combined R&D expenditures of $955.0 billion, or a 39% share of global R&D), North America ($706.1 billion, or 29%), and Europe ($529.6 billion, or 22%). All other regions combined account for 10% of global R&D performance.
PPP = purchasing power parity.
Foreign currencies are converted to dollars through PPPs. Some country data are estimated. Countries are grouped according to the regions described by The World Factbook (CIA 2021).
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, estimates as of December 2021. Based on data from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, M ain Science and Technology Indicators (September 2021 edition), and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Institute for Statistics, Science Technology and Innovation data set (March 2021 release).
Science and Engineering Indicators
R&D performance is even more concentrated when comparing individual countries. The United States and China lead R&D performance globally, jointly accounting for half of global R&D ( Figure RD-6 ). The United States performed $668.4 billion (28%) of global R&D in 2019. trends section. For consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D (typically totaling just over \$1 billion annually) in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D." data-bs-content="U.S. GERD in this section differs slightly from the U.S. total R&D reported in the U.S. trends section. For consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D (typically totaling just over \$1 billion annually) in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D." data-endnote-uuid="7947339f-3ff7-40b9-b0a7-46abb64245f0"> U.S. GERD in this section differs slightly from the U.S. total R&D reported in the U.S. trends section. For consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D (typically totaling just over $1 billion annually) in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D. China followed, with $525.7 billion (22%) of global R&D.
Country or economy | GERD (billions of U.S. PPP dollars) | National R&D intensity (percent) |
---|---|---|
United States | 668.4 | 3.13 |
China | 525.7 | 2.23 |
Japan | 173.3 | 3.20 |
Germany | 148.1 | 3.19 |
South Korea | 102.5 | 4.64 |
France | 73.3 | 2.20 |
India (2018) | 58.7 | 0.65 |
United Kingdom | 56.9 | 1.76 |
Russia | 44.5 | 1.04 |
Taiwan | 44.0 | 3.49 |
Italy | 39.3 | 1.47 |
Brazil (2018) | 36.3 | 1.16 |
Canada | 30.3 | 1.59 |
Spain | 24.9 | 1.25 |
Turkey | 24.2 | 1.06 |
Netherlands | 22.6 | 2.18 |
Australia (2017) | 22.4 | 1.79 |
GERD = gross domestic expenditure on R&D; PPP = purchasing power parity.
Top 17 R&D-performing countries or economies (based on annual GERD). Data for most countries are from 2019; data for India, Brazil, and Australia are 1 year or 2 years earlier. National R&D intensity is the ratio of gross domestic expenditures on R&D to gross domestic product.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Patterns of R&D Resources (2019–20 edition); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Main Science and Technology Indicators (September 2021 edition); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Institute for Statistics, Science Technology and Innovation data set (March 2021 release).
The next tier of top R&D performers includes Japan (7% of global R&D), Germany (6%), and South Korea (4%), each with R&D expenditures above $100 billion. Together with the United States and China, these countries accounted for two-thirds of global R&D in 2019.
France, India, and the United Kingdom make up the third tier of top R&D performers, each with R&D expenditures above $50 billion, or around 2%–3% of the global R&D total. The fourth tier includes Russia, Taiwan, Italy, and Brazil, each with R&D expenditures from $36 billion to $45 billion, or 1.5%–2.0% of the global R&D total. Canada, Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Australia follow, with R&D expenditures between $22 billion and $30 billion, or about 1% of the global R&D total each.
These top 17 R&D-performing countries collectively performed 87% of the global R&D in 2019 ( Figure RD-6 ). Many other countries also perform R&D but do so at a comparatively much smaller scale ( Table RD-5 ).
GDP = gross domestic product; GERD = gross domestic expenditure on R&D; G20 = Group of Twenty; OECD = Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; PPP = purchasing power parity.
a Data for U.S. GERD differ slightly from the U.S. total R&D data tabulated earlier in this report. For better consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D, in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D.
b Data for the European Union (EU) include the 27 EU member countries.
Year of data is listed in parentheses. Foreign currencies are converted to dollars through PPPs. Countries in this table have an annual GERD of $500 million or more. Countries are grouped according to the regions described by The World Factbook (CIA 2021). Data for Israel are civilian R&D only. See sources below for GERD statistics on additional countries.
Total global R&D expenditures continue to rise substantially as countries intensify their R&D efforts. Global R&D expenditures increased more than threefold from 2000 ($725.0 billion) to 2019 ($2.4 trillion) ( Figure RD-7 ). The annual increase in global total R&D averaged 6.9% over the 2000–10 period and 6.2% for 2010–19.
The global concentration of R&D performance continues to shift from North America and Europe to the East-Southeast and South Asia regions ( Figure RD-7 ). R&D performed in North America accounted for 40% of the global total R&D in 2000 but only 29% in 2019. Europe accounted for 27% of global R&D in 2000 but declined to 22% in 2019. In contrast, the East-Southeast and South Asia regions accounted for 25% of the global total R&D in 2000, and their global share rose to 39% in 2019.
China accounted for 29% ($492.8 billion) of the global increase in R&D since 2000 ( Figure RD-8 ). The United States accounted for 24% ($399.8 billion), and the EU-27 member countries accounted for 17% ($281.5 billion). The increases of several other major Asian R&D performers were also noticeable: South Korea and Japan jointly accounted for 9% of the increase ($158.3 billion).
Region, country, or economy | 2000 | 2019 |
---|---|---|
World | 725.0 | 2,419.1 |
United States | 268.6 | 668.4 |
EU-27 | 158.9 | 440.3 |
China | 32.9 | 525.7 |
South Korea and Japan | 117.4 | 275.8 |
Other East-Southeast and South Asia | 33.2 | 153.6 |
Rest of world | 114.0 | 355.4 |
Region, country, or economy | Percent |
---|---|
United States | 24 |
EU-27 | 17 |
China | 29 |
South Korea and Japan | 9 |
Other East-Southeast and South Asia | 7 |
Rest of world | 14 |
EU = European Union; PPP = purchasing power parity.
Other East-Southeast and South Asia include Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The United States remains the leader among the world’s R&D-performing nations; its rate of increase in R&D expenditures has averaged 4.3% over the 2000–10 period and 5.6% in 2010–19 ( Figure RD-9 ; Table RD-6 ; Table SRD-1 ). R&D expenditures in China continue to increase at the world’s fastest pace. The rate of China’s increase in R&D performance has been remarkably high for many years, although it has slowed down in the last decade, averaging 10.6% annually over the 2010–19 period compared to 20.5% over the 2000–10 period.
Year | United States | EU-27 | France | Germany | United Kingdom | China | Japan | South Korea | India |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 152.4 | NA | 23.3 | 35.9 | 18.9 | NA | 65.4 | NA | NA |
1991 | 161.4 | 108.0 | 24.4 | 40.0 | 18.6 | 9.1 | 69.2 | 7.0 | NA |
1992 | 165.8 | 110.3 | 25.4 | 39.7 | 18.8 | 10.7 | 70.0 | 8.0 | NA |
1993 | 166.1 | 111.5 | 26.3 | 39.1 | 20.0 | 11.9 | 69.8 | 9.5 | NA |
1994 | 169.6 | 113.7 | 26.9 | 39.4 | 20.9 | 12.5 | 70.5 | 11.5 | NA |
1995 | 184.1 | 118.1 | 27.7 | 41.0 | 19.6 | 12.8 | 76.6 | 13.1 | NA |
1996 | 197.8 | 123.1 | 28.3 | 42.2 | 20.1 | 14.1 | 83.0 | 14.8 | 10.6 |
1997 | 212.5 | 129.6 | 28.6 | 44.1 | 20.7 | 17.8 | 87.8 | 16.2 | 12.1 |
1998 | 226.2 | 136.6 | 29.4 | 46.1 | 21.4 | 19.7 | 91.1 | 14.6 | 13.3 |
1999 | 245.0 | 146.6 | 31.0 | 50.7 | 23.3 | 24.9 | 92.8 | 15.8 | 15.1 |
2000 | 268.6 | 158.9 | 33.3 | 53.9 | 25.2 | 32.9 | 98.9 | 18.5 | 16.8 |
2001 | 279.1 | 169.3 | 36.1 | 56.2 | 26.3 | 38.4 | 103.8 | 21.3 | 17.5 |
2002 | 278.4 | 178.1 | 38.3 | 58.6 | 27.9 | 47.9 | 108.2 | 22.5 | 18.1 |
2003 | 292.2 | 181.8 | 37.1 | 61.0 | 28.6 | 56.8 | 112.4 | 24.1 | 19.8 |
2004 | 303.8 | 188.6 | 38.1 | 62.9 | 29.4 | 69.7 | 117.5 | 27.9 | 23.1 |
2005 | 326.2 | 196.3 | 39.5 | 64.0 | 30.6 | 86.2 | 128.7 | 30.6 | 27.9 |
2006 | 351.7 | 216.3 | 42.3 | 69.5 | 33.3 | 104.7 | 138.7 | 35.4 | 30.4 |
2007 | 378.5 | 231.5 | 44.2 | 73.4 | 35.2 | 123.3 | 147.5 | 40.6 | 33.6 |
2008 | 405.4 | 254.2 | 46.6 | 81.2 | 36.5 | 145.1 | 148.7 | 43.9 | 37.6 |
2009 | 404.2 | 260.8 | 49.7 | 82.8 | 36.5 | 184.1 | 137.4 | 45.8 | 39.7 |
2010 | 408.5 | 270.4 | 50.9 | 87.0 | 37.6 | 212.1 | 140.6 | 52.2 | 41.2 |
2011 | 427.1 | 289.7 | 53.6 | 95.8 | 38.8 | 246.5 | 148.4 | 58.4 | 42.4 |
2012 | 434.4 | 302.4 | 55.1 | 100.5 | 38.5 | 289.2 | 152.3 | 64.9 | 45.8 |
2013 | 455.1 | 315.6 | 58.4 | 102.9 | 41.5 | 323.4 | 164.7 | 68.2 | 45.8 |
2014 | 477.0 | 329.1 | 60.6 | 109.6 | 43.8 | 346.3 | 169.6 | 73.1 | 47.6 |
2015 | 495.9 | 341.6 | 61.6 | 114.1 | 45.7 | 366.1 | 168.5 | 76.9 | 49.6 |
2016 | 522.6 | 360.1 | 63.7 | 122.5 | 48.1 | 393.0 | 160.3 | 80.8 | 51.8 |
2017 | 555.1 | 386.7 | 65.7 | 133.7 | 50.8 | 420.8 | 166.6 | 90.3 | 55.1 |
2018 | 606.2 | 413.7 | 68.6 | 142.1 | 54.2 | 465.5 | 172.8 | 99.0 | 58.7 |
2019 | 668.4 | 440.3 | 73.3 | 148.1 | 56.9 | 525.7 | 173.3 | 102.5 | NA |
Data are for the top eight R&D-performing countries and the EU. Data are not available for all countries for all years. Data for U.S. gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) differ slightly from the U.S. total R&D data tabulated earlier in this report. For better consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D. Data for Japan from 1996 onward may not be consistent with earlier data because of changes in methodology. Data for the EU include the 27 EU member countries. See also Table SRD-1 .
GDP = gross domestic product; GERD = gross domestic expenditure on R&D; PPP = purchasing power parity.
a Data for U.S. GERD differ slightly from the U.S. total R&D data tabulated earlier in this report. For better consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D.
b Most recent data for India are 2018. The listed growth rates for India for both GERD and GDP are 2010–18.
Table shows the top eight R&D-performing countries in 2019. The growth rates are calculated as compound average annual rates. Year of data is listed in parentheses. By way of comparison, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics estimates that the average annual pace of growth of the global total of R&D was 6.9% for 2000–10 and 6.2% for 2010–19.
The latest data show a more pronounced gap in R&D expenditures between the United States and China than previously measured. Indicators 2020 reported China’s R&D expenditures for 2017 at $496.0 billion, or 90% of the U.S. level of $549.0 billion (NSB Indicators 2020 : Figure 4-7 ). In comparison, current data place China’s level of annual total R&D expenditures in 2017 at $420.8 billion, or 76% of the U.S. level of $555.1 billion. This reset in China’s R&D expenditure levels stems entirely from the conversion of China’s R&D data to U.S. PPP dollars following the latest release of PPP data by the International Comparison Program (ICP) at the World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/icp ." data-bs-content="The International Comparison Program (ICP) is a global statistical initiative established to produce, among other measures, PPPs and internationally comparable price level indexes. It is managed by the World Bank with the support of the United Nations Statistical Commission. It is the largest data collection initiative for global price data. More information on the program is available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/icp ." data-endnote-uuid="b01ec8a6-9400-43c8-abcd-651056e91f80"> The International Comparison Program (ICP) is a global statistical initiative established to produce, among other measures, PPPs and internationally comparable price level indexes. It is managed by the World Bank with the support of the United Nations Statistical Commission. It is the largest data collection initiative for global price data. More information on the program is available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/icp . This release included benchmark PPP data for the new reference year 2017, revised PPP data for reference year 2011, and annual PPPs for non-benchmark years (2012–16). https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/icp ." data-bs-content="The ICP 2017 results were released in May of 2020. As part of this release, the 2011 benchmark data were also revised to incorporate updated data on expenditures, regional PPPs, population, and market exchange rates. More information on the data, methodology, and ICP revision policy is available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/icp ." data-endnote-uuid="b4e146d1-a789-45e5-99fb-7c6bfbf44a34"> The ICP 2017 results were released in May of 2020. As part of this release, the 2011 benchmark data were also revised to incorporate updated data on expenditures, regional PPPs, population, and market exchange rates. More information on the data, methodology, and ICP revision policy is available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/icp . According to OECD (2020), the revised PPPs for China imply a higher cost of performing R&D because China’s relative price of investment had been previously underestimated. In addition to the reset in China’s R&D expenditure levels, the U.S. R&D expenditure total for 2017 was also revised upward by several billions of dollars as a result of a number of revisions. Even so, China continues to move closer to the United States ( Figure RD-9 ). China’s total R&D expenditures in 2019 were 79% of the U.S. level.
Among other top R&D-performing Asian countries, the rise in R&D expenditures in South Korea has also been quite high, averaging 10.9% annually over 2000–10 and 7.8% for 2010–19 ( Figure RD-9 ; Table RD-6 ; Table SRD-1 ). India’s increase in R&D expenditures averaged 9.4% annually over 2000–10 and 4.4% for 2010–19. Japan’s corresponding increases of R&D have been considerably slower, at 3.6% and 2.4%, respectively.
Total R&D expenditures by the EU-27 nations have been increasing at an annual average rate of about 5.5% over both 2000–10 and 2010–19, with Germany at 4.9% and 6.1% and France at 4.3% and 4.1%, respectively ( Table SRD-1 ). Over the same periods, the R&D expenditures in the United Kingdom have been increasing at 4.1% and 4.7%, respectively.
Country patterns in national r&d intensity, 2019.
Despite ranking at the top of the R&D-performing countries by total R&D expenditures, the United States ranked ninth in national R&D intensity (the GERD-to-GDP ratio) among the economies tracked by OECD and UNESCO data ( Table RD-5 ). The United States is one of ten countries overall and one of five top R&D-performing countries with R&D intensities above 3.0% ( Figure RD-6 ; Table RD-5 ). Other top R&D-performing countries with R&D intensities above 3.0% are Japan (3.20%), Germany (3.19%), and South Korea (4.64%).
Israel and South Korea have the highest R&D intensities across all countries. Israel continues to hold the top spot, with an R&D intensity of 4.93% ( Table RD-5 ). Israel, however, ranks 19th by total R&D expenditures. South Korea (4.64%) is second and the only country among the largest R&D-performing countries with an R&D intensity above 4.50%. Taiwan comes in third (3.49%), followed by Sweden (3.39%). Other countries with comparatively high R&D intensity ratios are Austria (3.13%) and Switzerland (3.18%). The R&D intensities of the remaining top R&D performers are as follows: China at 2.23%, France at 2.20%, the United Kingdom at 1.76%, and India at 0.65%.
R&D intensity increased across several of the top R&D-performing countries in 2019 ( Figure RD-10 ). U.S. R&D intensity has ranged from 2.5% to under 3.0% since 2000 and, for the first time, reached 3.13% in 2019 ( Figure RD-10 ; Table SRD-1 ). The U.S. rank in this indicator has changed over time, fluctuating between 8th and 11th (NSB Indicators 2012 , Indicators 2014 , Indicators 2016 , Indicators 2018 , Indicators 2020 ). Despite historically high U.S. R&D intensity levels, these rank changes are not surprising as other countries have been expanding their R&D efforts.
Year | United States | EU-27 | France | Germany | United Kingdom | China | Japan | South Korea | India |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 2.56 | NA | 2.27 | 2.61 | 1.95 | NA | 2.71 | NA | NA |
1991 | 2.62 | 1.65 | 2.28 | 2.39 | 1.87 | 0.72 | 2.68 | 1.71 | NA |
1992 | 2.54 | 1.63 | 2.28 | 2.27 | 1.84 | 0.73 | 2.63 | 1.80 | NA |
1993 | 2.42 | 1.62 | 2.32 | 2.21 | 1.86 | 0.70 | 2.57 | 1.95 | NA |
1994 | 2.33 | 1.57 | 2.27 | 2.13 | 1.84 | 0.63 | 2.47 | 2.12 | NA |
1995 | 2.41 | 1.56 | 2.24 | 2.14 | 1.65 | 0.57 | 2.56 | 2.16 | NA |
1996 | 2.45 | 1.57 | 2.22 | 2.14 | 1.58 | 0.56 | 2.64 | 2.22 | 0.64 |
1997 | 2.48 | 1.59 | 2.15 | 2.19 | 1.54 | 0.64 | 2.72 | 2.25 | 0.69 |
1998 | 2.50 | 1.60 | 2.09 | 2.22 | 1.55 | 0.65 | 2.83 | 2.11 | 0.70 |
1999 | 2.54 | 1.65 | 2.11 | 2.35 | 1.63 | 0.75 | 2.85 | 2.02 | 0.72 |
2000 | 2.62 | 1.68 | 2.09 | 2.41 | 1.62 | 0.89 | 2.86 | 2.13 | 0.76 |
2001 | 2.64 | 1.70 | 2.14 | 2.40 | 1.61 | 0.94 | 2.92 | 2.28 | 0.74 |
2002 | 2.55 | 1.71 | 2.17 | 2.44 | 1.62 | 1.06 | 2.97 | 2.21 | 0.73 |
2003 | 2.55 | 1.70 | 2.12 | 2.47 | 1.58 | 1.12 | 2.99 | 2.28 | 0.72 |
2004 | 2.49 | 1.68 | 2.09 | 2.44 | 1.54 | 1.21 | 2.98 | 2.44 | 0.76 |
2005 | 2.50 | 1.68 | 2.05 | 2.44 | 1.56 | 1.31 | 3.13 | 2.52 | 0.82 |
2006 | 2.55 | 1.70 | 2.05 | 2.47 | 1.58 | 1.37 | 3.23 | 2.72 | 0.80 |
2007 | 2.62 | 1.70 | 2.02 | 2.46 | 1.62 | 1.37 | 3.29 | 2.87 | 0.81 |
2008 | 2.74 | 1.78 | 2.06 | 2.62 | 1.61 | 1.45 | 3.29 | 2.99 | 0.86 |
2009 | 2.79 | 1.86 | 2.21 | 2.74 | 1.67 | 1.66 | 3.20 | 3.15 | 0.83 |
2010 | 2.71 | 1.86 | 2.18 | 2.73 | 1.64 | 1.71 | 3.10 | 3.32 | 0.79 |
2011 | 2.74 | 1.91 | 2.19 | 2.81 | 1.65 | 1.78 | 3.21 | 3.59 | 0.76 |
2012 | 2.67 | 1.96 | 2.23 | 2.88 | 1.58 | 1.91 | 3.17 | 3.85 | 0.74 |
2013 | 2.70 | 1.98 | 2.24 | 2.84 | 1.62 | 2.00 | 3.28 | 3.95 | 0.71 |
2014 | 2.72 | 2.00 | 2.28 | 2.88 | 1.64 | 2.02 | 3.37 | 4.08 | 0.70 |
2015 | 2.72 | 2.01 | 2.27 | 2.93 | 1.65 | 2.06 | 3.24 | 3.98 | 0.69 |
2016 | 2.80 | 1.99 | 2.22 | 2.94 | 1.66 | 2.10 | 3.11 | 3.99 | 0.67 |
2017 | 2.85 | 2.03 | 2.20 | 3.05 | 1.68 | 2.12 | 3.17 | 4.29 | 0.67 |
2018 | 2.95 | 2.07 | 2.19 | 3.12 | 1.73 | 2.14 | 3.22 | 4.52 | 0.65 |
2019 | 3.13 | 2.12 | 2.20 | 3.19 | 1.76 | 2.23 | 3.20 | 4.64 | NA |
EU = European Union.
Data are for the top eight R&D-performing countries and the EU. Data are not available for all countries for all years. Data for U.S. gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) differ slightly from the U.S. total R&D data tabulated earlier in this report. For better consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D. Data for Japan in 1996 onward may not be consistent with earlier data because of changes in methodology. Data for the EU include the 27 EU member countries. See also Table SRD-1 .
R&D intensity has been rising gradually for European countries. For EU-27 member countries, R&D intensity has increased from about 1.68% in 2000 to 2.12% in 2019 ( Figure RD-10 ; Table SRD-1 ). For the largest R&D performers among the EU-27 countries, Germany’s ratio has risen the most over this period, from 2.41% to 3.19%, while France’s ratio has had modest increases, from 2.09% to 2.20%. The R&D intensity for the United Kingdom has also increased modestly from 1.62% to 1.76%.
Among top R&D-performing Asian countries, China and South Korea have had the largest increases in R&D intensity in the last two decades ( Figure RD-10 ; Table SRD-1 ). China’s ratio more than doubled, from 0.89% in 2000 to 2.23% in 2019. South Korea’s ratio has also more than doubled from 2.13% in 2000 to 4.64% in 2019; its growth in R&D intensity has been particularly rapid since the late 1990s ( Figure RD-10 ). Japan’s R&D intensity has fluctuated around 3.10%–3.30% for most of the last decade, having increased from 2.86% in 2000.
Trends in composition, by sector.
The business sector dominates R&D performance in seven of the eight top R&D-performing nations ( Table RD-7 ). This sector accounted for three-fourths of R&D performance in the United States (75%) in 2019. Business shares were even larger among the leading Asian R&D performers: China (76%), Japan (79%), and South Korea (80%). The European countries had comparatively lower shares, with Germany at 69%, France at 66%, and the United Kingdom at 67%. India’s business share was the lowest at 37%.
na = not applicable; country does not recognize the category or does not report the data item. NA = not available.
a The private nonprofit sector comprises all nonprofit institutions serving households except those classified as part of the higher education sector.
b Data for U.S. GERD differ slightly from the U.S. total R&D data tabulated earlier in this report. For better consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D. The data for U.S. funding from the rest of the world include funding for business R&D and academic R&D.
c For India, the most recent year of available data on GERD and the distribution of R&D performance is 2018, whereas the most recent year available for data on distribution of R&D expenditures by source of funds is 2017.
d For the United Kingdom, the most recent year available for data on distribution of R&D expenditures by source of funds is 2018.
Table shows the top eight R&D-performing countries in 2019. Year of data is listed in parentheses. Percentages may not add to 100% because of rounding. Germany's expenditures of the nonprofit sector are included in data for other performing sectors. Classification of sectors follows Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development surveys.
The government sector performed more than half of India’s R&D (56%) ( Table RD-7 ). Government-performed R&D ranged from about 7% to 15% for the remaining top eight R&D-performing countries, with China (15%) and Germany (14%) on the higher end and the United Kingdom (7%) and Japan (8%) on the lower end. The higher education sector accounted for 20% or more of R&D performance in France (20%) and the United Kingdom (23%) and for 7%–17% of R&D performance in the remaining top eight countries. India (7%), China (8%), and South Korea (8%) had the lowest shares of R&D performance by this sector.
The business sector is also the predominant source of R&D funding for most top R&D-performing countries; government is the second-largest source ( Table RD-7 ). The business sector accounted for 55%–79% of R&D funding, while the government sector accounted for 15%–33% among the top eight countries, except for India. The government sector is the largest source of R&D funding in India (63%), with the rest (37%) funded by the business sector.
Funding from r est of world refers to funding from businesses, universities, governments, nonprofits, and other organizations located outside of the country. The United Kingdom is the most notable in this category, with about 14% of R&D funding in 2018 coming from foreign sources. Foreign funding was also sizable in France, Germany, and the United States (around 7%–8%), while the rest of the top R&D-performing countries had much lower shares for this funding source.
The distributions of R&D performance and funding have been relatively stable for these countries since 2011 (NSB Indicators 2012 , Indicators 2014 , Indicators 2016 , Indicators 2018 , Indicators 2020 ).
Cross-national comparisons of R&D levels and shares of national R&D performance devoted to basic research, applied research, and experimental development provide useful insights into how countries prioritize their allocation of resources for R&D.
France leads the top eight R&D-performing countries in the share of basic research (23%), although France’s R&D expenditures spent on basic research ($15.6 billion) are relatively low compared to other top R&D-performing countries ( Table RD-8 ). In contrast, China’s basic research share is the lowest among the top R&D-performing countries (6%), but the R&D expenditures for basic research in China ($31.7 billion) are higher than in France. By volume of spending, the United States leads performance of global basic research with $102.9 billion in R&D expenditures in 2019, which accounts for 15% of its total R&D expenditures.
NA = not available.
GERD = gross domestic expenditure on R&D; nec = not elsewhere classified; PPP = purchasing power parity.
a Expressed as a share of GDP, the country expenditures for basic research are United States (0.49%), China (0.12%), Japan (0.41%), Germany (NA), South Korea (0.64%), France (0.50%), India (0.09%), and United Kingdom (0.32%).
b This category includes capital expenditures nec. Capital expenditures are the annual gross amount paid for the acquisition of fixed assets such as R&D plant and equipment.
c Data for U.S. GERD differ slightly from the U.S. total R&D data tabulated earlier in this report. For better consistency with international standards, U.S. GERD includes federal capital funding for federal intramural and nonprofit R&D in addition to what is reported as U.S. total R&D.
Table shows the top eight R&D-performing countries in 2019. Year of data is listed in parentheses. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. Data are not presently available for Germany.
The United Kingdom and France have the largest shares of R&D expenditures devoted to applied research among these countries (each above 40%). Shares for the remaining countries range from 11% (China) to 22%–23% (India and South Korea). By volume of spending, the United States also dominates this category with $132.0 billion of applied research spending in 2019, which accounts for 20% of its total R&D expenditures. The overall volume of spending by the second- and third-ranked countries in this category are comparatively far behind: China, at $59.3 billion, and Japan, at $32.2 billion.
China has the highest share of experimental development by far—83% of its R&D total in 2019, or $434.7 billion of spending in this category. For the United States, the experimental development share was 65%, although the amount of spending was virtually identical to China ($432.0 billion). Other countries with comparatively high shares for experimental development are Japan (65%) and South Korea (63%); the dollar amounts of these countries’ performances, however, were well below the levels for China and the United States.
The R&D expenditure shares by type of R&D reported by the countries have been largely stable over the past several years (NSB Indicators 2012 , Indicators 2014 , Indicators 2016 , Indicators 2018 , Indicators 2020 ).
The national taiwan university ranking evaluates universities based on research output and impact.
The University of Toronto climbed one spot to fourth place globally in the latest National Taiwan University ranking, which evaluates universities based on their research output and impact.
U of T’s strong performance in the 2024 edition of the NTU World University Rankings puts it in elite global company. The four other schools in the top five were Harvard University, Stanford University, University College London and the University of Oxford.
Among public universities, U of T placed second globally and first in North America.
“This ranking is yet another reminder that the research produced at the University of Toronto is truly world-class,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.
“It also reflects our reputation for research excellence and impact across a broad range of fields – from medicine to the social sciences.”
This ranking is yet another reminder that the research produced at the University of Toronto is truly world-class.
The NTU ranking analyzes scholarly papers and research citations, scoring each institution based on productivity, impact and excellence. The top 1,000 universities were ranked this year with more than 1,500 considered.
In addition to the overall ranking, NTU ranked universities by six broad fields and 27 specific subjects.
U of T ranked among the top 50 institutions worldwide – and first in Canada – in four of the six broad fields. Notably, that includes a rank of second globally in medicine, the same as last year, and third globally in social sciences – up three spots.
U of T also ranked among the top 10 universities globally in five subject categories: clinical medicine (second), neurosciences and behaviour (third), social sciences (third), psychiatry and psychology (fourth) and biology and biochemistry (sixth).
Two other Canadian universities made the top 100 in the main NTU ranking: University of British Columbia (37th) and McGill University (57th).
Overall, U of T continues to be the highest-ranked Canadian university and one of the top-ranked public universities in the five most closely watched international rankings: Times Higher Education ’s World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, U.S. News & World Report ’s Best Global Universities and National Taiwan University World University Rankings.
By Mariam Matti
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Rankings by total R&D expenditures - NSF NCSES - Data Tools
Here is the rest of the top 100 from the 915 colleges and universities that spent more than $150,000 in research and development in FY 2020: University of California, San Diego, $1,403,735. University of California, Los Angeles, $1,392,941. University of Wisconsin-Madison, $1,363,931. Harvard University, $1,239,983.
QS World University Rankings for Development Studies 2024
This year, 24 did so. As it has for decades, Johns Hopkins University headed the list of academic institutions, with $3.18 billion in total R and D. The rest of the top 5 were: University of ...
2023 Best National Research Universities - Rankings
50 Top Research Universities
Total research and development expenditures at American colleges and universities topped $86 billion in Fiscal Year 2020, Here are the top 25 universities ranked by their R and D spending.
World University Rankings 2023
Total research and development (R and D) expenditures at American colleges and universities topped $89 billion in fiscal year 2021, an increase of more than $3.4 billion (4%) over FY 2020.
Overall, academic research and development (R&D) represented 11% of total U.S. R&D performed in 2021, compared with 14% in 2012. In 2021, the United States ranked highest among 32 leading countries or regions in total funding of academic R&D, but it ranked 23rd when academic R&D spending is expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product.
Research and development spending by academic institutions totaled $89.9 billion in FY 2021, an increase of $3.4 billion from FY 2020. R&D expenditures funded from federal sources accounted for $3.0 billion of the total increase—the largest federal increase since FY 2011, when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 supplemented the flow of R&D support dollars.
According to the QS World University Rankings, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) is the sixth best university in the world. Explore more about the university rankings here. By Craig OCallaghan. Aug 09, 2024. 9.8K 11.
Academic R&D expenditures in all science fields combined increased by $5.9 billion (8.4%) in FY 2022. The data in this report are from the Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey, sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation.
Innovation is alive and well on campus as R&D on campus is seeing increased investment by college and university leaders. Academic institutions spent $89.9 billion on research and development in math, science, engineering and other major fields during FY 2021, an increase of $3.4 billion from 2020, according to the latest data from the National Science Foundation.
Discover the top universities in Australia, according to the QS World University Rankings 2024. 20 years of the QS World University Rankings:…. QS founder and President Nunzio Quacquarelli speaks about the origins of the rankings and his reflections on what preparing to launch the 20th edition means to him personally.
HERD Survey Reveals Top U.S. Universities For R&D ...
The university ranking also increased among public colleges and universities, moving up from 15th in 2020 to 7th in 2021. The NSF's annual Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey rankings show that Ohio State's research and creative expression community conducted $1.236 billion in research and development expenditures in ...
With more than $1.27 billion in annual R&D spending, NYU jumped into the top 15 nationally, and is #7 among private universities. For the first time, NYU leads New York City universities in annual research spending according to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) annual HERD survey. NYU had the greatest climb in rankings among the top 50 ...
In 2010, the HERD Survey replaced a previous annual collection, the Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges (Academic R&D Expenditures Survey), which was conducted from FY 1972 through FY 2009. Reference period. The academic fiscal year ending in 2021; for most institutions, this was 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.
The National Science Foundation's Higher Education Research and Development fiscal year 2021 survey, released Thursday, ranks VCU as No. 50 in the country for fiscal research expenditures. Reaching this ranking comes well ahead of the timeline set out by VCU's Quest 2028 goals. VCU ranked No. 58 last year.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact (click here to read the full methodology). Use the interactive table below to filter the rankings by location, and click on individual universities for more information. Registered users will also be able to use the site's ...
The University of Delaware ranks #10 out of 235 in best public universities and #26 overall among 500 colleges and universities nationwide, according to The Wall Street Journal's 2025 WSJ/College Pulse best colleges in the U.S. rankings.The 2025 rankings reflect immense growth in UD's accomplishments and reputation, rising from #86 overall in the 2024 survey.
CHICAGO, September 9, 2024 — A new report examining methodologies used in various rankings of U.S. colleges and universities provides recommendations to support transparent evaluation of higher education institutions.. For decades, college rankings have sought to distill many abstract qualities into a digestible, numbered list. For this analysis, researchers reviewed the methodologies of ...
Research and Development: U.S. Trends and International ...
The University of Toronto climbed one spot to fourth place globally in the latest National Taiwan University ranking, which evaluates universities based on their research output and impact. U of T's strong performance in the 2024 edition of the NTU World University Rankings puts it in elite global company. The four other schools in the top ...
The University of South Wales (USW) has achieved its highest-ever ranking in the Guardian University Guide 2025, with the University now placed 51st of the 122 institutions on the list. This is a rise of 21 places in the rankings since last year, and puts USW third in Wales.