UW-Madison remains highly ranked in research spending despite shrinking revenue streams

UW-Madison remains highly ranked in research spending despite shrinking revenue streams

By Tim McGlone, UW-Madison

Woven solar textiles are seen next to a pair of tweezers in a photo at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sept. 30, 2015. Coated in conductive polymer material, each half-inch square of fabric contains an array of six rectangular solar cells. The technology is a result of research collaboration between Trisha Andrew, assistant professor of chemistry, and Marianne Fairbanks, assistant professor in the School of Human Ecology's design studies program. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison held its fourth place ranking in research expenditures among U.S. universities, despite a continuing erosion of federal and state funding, according to a new survey by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

For more than 25 years, UW-Madison has consistently ranked among the top five universities for research expenditures — money secured from all sources, federal, private and state.

In 2014, UW-Madison spent slightly more than $1.1 billion on all research, down 1.3 percent from $1.12 billion the previous year, according to NSF’s Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey.

Three of the top five research universities saw a decline in funding. Johns Hopkins University, a longtime classified defense research powerhouse, remained at the top of the list by a wide margin and increased its research spending by 3.4 percent to $2.24 billion. After Johns Hopkins, UW-Madison follows the University of Michigan and the University of Washington in the rankings.

The ranking reflects the UW-Madison’s status as a top-tier research university and its ability to attract some of the best and brightest minds — whether students, faculty or staff — from around the country and the world. Read more …