Johns Hopkins Tops List Again

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Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins

A new report from the National Science Foundation documents $49 billion in federal science and engineering support to higher ed in FY 2023.

Notwithstanding current executive and legal maneuvers over continued federal funding to universities, data continue to be crunched (for now) by federal agencies charged with doing so.

New data released June 2 by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) show federal funding support for science and engineering (S&E) at higher education institutions as well as federal obligations for science and engineering R&D and R&D plant to nonprofit institutions.

No fewer than 32 tables provided by the agencies allow sorting by various parameters, which in turn can shed light on where dynamic activity and the potential for industry partnerships may be strongest.

A glimpse at the top 25 institutions (the resource offers the top 100) shows traditional leaders maintaining their prominence. Johns Hopkins University lapped the field with $2.1 billion in FY 2023 — nearly $1.2 billion more than the next institution, the University of Michigan, which received $966 million. “Data users should note that Johns Hopkins University includes the Applied Physics Laboratory, one of 15 university-affiliated research centers,” the report notes.^​ In FY 2023, federal agencies obligated S&E funding to 1,110 institutions of higher education in the United States.^​ The top 25 recipient institutions of federal obligations for S&E support accounted for $19.2 billion, or 39.3% of all federal S&E support, to all institutions of higher education.

Federal Obligations for Science and Engineering to the 25 Universities and Colleges Receiving the Largest Amounts in FY 2023

In commencement remarks in May, Johns Hopkins President Ron Daniels spoke to what he called a “compact” between research institutions and the federal government:

“To be the best version of ourselves, we must subject ourselves to the same exacting standards of review that we apply to others and to our research. And where we fall short, we must change. We must do repair,” he said. “But whatever our flaws, whatever our stumbles, we cannot lose sight of how good, how indispensable research universities like Johns Hopkins — and students like you — are to the national fabric and to the world beyond.

“The modern American research university, of which Hopkins was the first, stands as an institution that is, I believe, unmatched in its capacity to promote individual flourishing and societal advancement,” Daniels continued. “Standing at the core of that success is the extraordinary research compact that was painstakingly forged between America’s research universities and the federal government in the wake of the Second World War. That compact has produced a bounty of innovation and impact that is as astounding today as it was then: the internet, the cell phone, the reduction in the death rate of cancer by 33%, GPS, and the technology that knocked asteroids off course — invented right here at Johns Hopkins University.”

Federal agency obligations to higher education institutions for support of S&E activities totaled $49 billion in FY 2023, an increase of 9.7% from the $44.6 billion in FY 2022. Notably for companies seeking partnerships and workforce development partnerships, funding for S&E fellowships, traineeships, and training grants totaled $2.5 billion in FY 2023, increasing 26.5% from the FY 2022 total of $1.9 billion.

“In FY 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) obligated $28.2 billion, or 57.6% of all federal S&E support, to higher education institutions,” the NCSES noted. “NSF, the second largest funding agency, accounted for $7.1 billion (14.4% of the total), followed by the Department of Defense (DOD) at $5.8 billion (11.8%). The Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture each obligated $2.1 billion (4.3% each). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration obligations totaled $1.9 billion (3.9%), and all other agencies combined obligated $1.8 billion (3.8%).”

By number of higher education institutions receiving S&E support, here are the top 10 states and their corresponding funding obligation amounts:

Federal Obligations for Science and Engineering to Universities and Colleges by States with Highest Number of Recipient Institutions

The data for nonprofits is no less compelling when analyzed by geography (albeit some organizations have a remit covering multiple jurisdictions). In FY 2023, total federal obligations to all nonprofit organizations for R&D and R&D plant totaled $11.6 billion. HHS was the largest funder of nonprofits for R&D and R&D plant with $7 billion, or 60.7% of all FY 2023 federal obligations. DOD is the second largest funder of R&D and R&D plant to nonprofit organizations with $2.8 billion, or 23.7% of total federal obligations. The term “R&D plant” encompasses “all projects whose principal purpose is to provide support for construction, acquisition, renovation, modification, repair, or rental of facilities, land, works, or fixed equipment for use in scientific or engineering R&D.”

Federal Obligations for Science and Engineering R&D and R&D Plant to Nonprofit Institutions, FY2023, Top 10 Institutions

When I examined data by total funding amounts, the amount of funding to the top 10 nonprofits proved to be higher than all but 10 states and the District of Columbia, led by nearly $704 million to Massachusetts General Hospital. — Adam Bruns