U-M ranks No.1 in research for 7th year in a row

Holds top spot for research volume among U.S. public universities

(Photo: University of Michigan)

ANN ARBOR – For the seventh consecutive year, the University of Michigan was ranked No. 1 in research and development spending by the National Science Foundation among all American public universities.

Ranking after U-M is University of California, San Francisco, University of Washington, Seattle and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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See the full list here, which includes private university rankings.

U-M spent $1,436,448 toward research and development in the 2016 fiscal year, nearly $150,000 more in spending than UCSF.

The federal government makes up 54.8 percent of University of Michigan's expenditure for R&D, while other funding sources include the state of Michigan, local government, businesses, institution funds and nonprofit organizations. 

Every year, U-M's spending gradually increases, but the 2016 fiscal year saw the biggest leap in spending, up $40,170 from 2015.

College of Literature, Science and the Arts junior Gaby Fabré researches in the political science department. She told The Michigan Daily that research is critical on campus. "Research is important because it allows for both individuals and communities to take that extra step forward in providing an understanding of a bigger picture in the grand scheme of things," she said. "It also opens up an academic dialogue in order to achieve that goal."

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