October 4, 2010

Johns Hopkins first in R&D for 31st year

University performed $1.85 billion in medical, science and engineering research in fiscal 2009

The Johns Hopkins University performed $1.85 billion in medical, science and engineering research in fiscal 2009, making it the leading U.S. academic institution in total research and development spending for the 31st year in a row, according to a new National Science Foundation ranking.

The university also once again ranked first on the NSF’s separate list of federally funded research and development, spending $1.58 billion in FY2009 on research supported by NSF, NASA, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.

In FY2002, Johns Hopkins became the first university to reach the $1 billion mark on either list, recording $1.14 billion in total research and $1.023 billion in federally sponsored research that year. The $1 billion milestone was not reached by another institution until FY2009, when the University of Michigan achieved it to rank second in R&D spending, as well as second in federally financed R&D, at $636 million.

At Johns Hopkins, research and development money supports the investigation of everything from scientific tools so small that they can be seen only by a microscope to the therapeutic potential of stem cells and beyond.

Research is also supported by funding from private sources and from return on investment from past discoveries. In fiscal 2009, Johns Hopkins earned $13.7 million from 600 licenses and their associated patents, up from $13 million in revenue in fiscal 2008.

“Johns Hopkins is dedicated to discovering new knowledge that improves the quality of life for all the world’s citizens,” said Lloyd Minor, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins. “Our faculty combine the freedom and stimulation in this research environment with their entrepreneurial spirit to make a difference each day. Our success is a testament to their talents and efforts.”

Johns Hopkins has led the NSF’s research expenditure ranking each year since 1979, when the agency’s methodology changed to include spending by the university’s Applied Physics Laboratory in the totals.

Behind the University of Michigan on the FY2009 total research expenditure list is the University of Wisconsin, Madison, at $952 million, followed by the University of California, San Francisco, at $947 million. Completing the top five, with $889 million, is the University of California, Los Angeles.

The total funding ranking includes research support not only from federal agencies but also from foundations, corporations and other sources.

In FY2010, universities are also getting a boost from funds administered through the federal stimulus package designed to advance scientific and medical knowledge while aiding the recovery of the U.S. economy. To date, Johns Hopkins has won 469 research grants totaling $222 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These grants are underwriting investigations ranging from the role that certain proteins play in the development of muscle-wasting diseases to research into what strategies best motivate drug addicts coming out of rehabilitation to agree to enroll in continuing sobriety support programs.

For details on the NSF findings, go to www
.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf10329
.