Georgia Tech Jumps in Rankings for Research and Development Expenditures

December 18, 2023 — In the latest Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey released by the National Science Foundation, Georgia Tech ranks 17th among academic institutions across the U.S. in research and development expenditures — a jump from the No. 20 ranking it has held for the past two years. Georgia Tech was also ranked No. 1 among universities without a medical school — a major accomplishment, as medical schools account for a quarter of all research expenditures nationally.

The annual survey compiles R&D expenditure data from U.S. colleges and universities with more than $150,000 in research expenditures during a fiscal year. For fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022), that included more than 900 institutions. The HERD Survey is the primary source of information on research and development expenditures at U.S. colleges and universities.
 
“This remarkable achievement reflects the hard work and creativity of our outstanding faculty, students, staff, and partners who continually strive to advance research that improves the human condition,” said Chaouki T. Abdallah, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech. “We are proud to be in the company of this distinguished list of institutions that work to address the world’s most pressing challenges.”
 
Having first broken into the top 20 for fiscal year 2020, Georgia Tech’s three-spot jump for fiscal year 2022 has the Institute passing Yale, University of Maryland, University of Texas-M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas A&M University and Health Science Center. 

Georgia Tech’s R&D spending of $1.231 billion in fiscal year 2022 reflects a 10.5% increase from the previous year for its entire research enterprise, which includes the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). In addition, Georgia Tech ranked 5th in federally financed expenditures, which totaled $940 million for fiscal year 2022. All R&D spending in higher education increased 9% to $97.8 billion in fiscal year 2022. GTRI remains the largest contributor to Georgia Tech’s growth and continues to play a major role in the Institute’s research enterprise and in national defense research.
 
These expenditures are the catalysts behind innovation, discovery, and economic development. Expenditures at Georgia Tech led to cutting-edge innovations in the fields of artificial intelligence and computing, health and medicine, advanced manufacturing, nanotechnology, policy, design, and in all creative realms. Advancements in climate science, astrophysics and space exploration, astrobiology and origins of life research, and other sciences led to dynamic discoveries. 
 
The year also saw an enormous impact on economic development across the state of Georgia, along with continued growth in commercialization efforts that bring technologies out of the lab and into to the world. 
 
“While rankings are but one measurement of the quality and impact of our research, I am proud that our research expenditures support the world-class initiatives and programs that are fostering a new generation of leaders from the ranks of Georgia Tech’s faculty and students,” Abdallah said. “Our jump in the rankings is something to be celebrated as a positive indicator of our research, and a testament to the limitless potential of research and knowledge when it’s in the hands of people who want to make a difference.”
 

Writer: Catherine Barzler  
Graphic Animation: Stephanie Stephens
Media Contact: Catherine Barzler | catherine.barzler@gatech.edu