R&D expenditures by US universities grew 6.9% to $61.2 billion in fiscal 2010, according to a survey of 742 institutions that spend at least $150,000 on R&D annually. The one-time $2.7 billion boost from 2009’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increased the federal government’s share of university R&D spending to 61%. Of the $37.5 billion provided by federal sources, the Department of Health and Human Services, the NSF and the Department of Defense supplied 56%, 13% and 12%, respectively. University internal funding, state and local government, nonprofit organizations and business organizations constituted 51%, 16%, 16% and 14% of nonfederal funding, respectively. Life sciences spending comprised 57% of total university R&D spending. Medical sciences spending accounted for 31% of life sciences expenditure. Environmental sciences, life sciences and physical sciences expenditures grew 2.3%, 6.5% and 8.0%, respectively. Federal sources contributed 67%, 66% and 73% of environmental science, life science and physical science R&D spending, respectively. Bioengineering/biomedical, chemical, mechanical and metallurgical/metals engineering spending grew 14.4%, 14.5%, 15.3% and 32.0%, respectively. By research type, respondents categorized 67% as basic, 25% as applied and 9% as development expenditures.

Source: NSF