Higher Education R&D Expenditures Increased 11.2%, Exceeded $108 Billion in FY 2023

1For more details on yearly R&D expenditures from FYs 1953-2023, see table 1 in the survey's FY 2023 detailed data tables.

2Dollars adjusted for inflation (i.e., constant dollars) are based on the gross domestic product (GDP) implicit price deflator, currently in 2017 dollars, as published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Table 1.1.9 Implicit Price Deflators for Gross Domestic Product, accessed on 9 September 2024. Note that GDP deflators are calculated on an economy-wide scale and do not explicitly focus on R&D.

3Engineering fields, not elsewhere classified could include agricultural engineering, engineering design, engineering mechanics, engineering physics, engineering science, forest engineering, nanotechnology, naval architecture and marine engineering, nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, petroleum engineering, and other engineering fields that cannot be classified using the fields provided on the HERD questionnaire. Physical science fields, not elsewhere classified includes other physical science fields that cannot be classified using the fields provided on the HERD questionnaire.

4For more details on R&D expenditures passed through to subrecipients, see tables 4, 74-77, and 86 in the survey's FY 2023 detailed data tables.

5For more information on the definitions and collection of these fields, see the HERD questionnaire and technical notes at https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/higher-education-research-development/2023#methodology.

6Unrecovered indirect cost means the difference between the amount charged to a federal award and the amount that could have been charged to a federal award under a nonfederal entity's approved negotiated indirect cost rate.

7For more details on institutions ranked by total R&D expenditures, see tables 5, 7, and 21-23 in the survey's FY 2023 detailed data tables.

8For more details on institutional control of colleges and universities, see tables 68, 70, and 71 in the survey's FY 2023 detailed data tables.

9For more details on R&D expenditures at institutions with medical schools, see table 72 in the survey's FY 2023 detailed data tables.