Data

Cornell U.

Total R&D expenditures, by field: 2024–15
(Dollars in thousands)
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  All R&D fields   1,613,631   1,451,971   1,300,357   1,183,524   1,190,063   1,144,534   1,071,621   984,478   974,199   954,412
    Science   1,367,178   1,243,117   1,125,281   1,024,698   1,023,416   993,265   941,150   878,004   867,672   841,938
      Computer and information sciences   42,783   32,821   29,874   28,125   31,173   29,330   29,162   23,220   21,673   19,462
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences   7,400   5,762   6,463   6,589   8,145   6,531   6,568   5,152   4,742   24,990
        Atmospheric science and meteorology   12   29   59   1,136   1,192   1,079   1,189   812   218   0
        Geological and earth sciences   6,736   5,446   6,120   5,218   6,874   5,407   5,277   4,257   4,411   9,551
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences   652   287   284   235   79   45   102   83   113   14
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   15,425
      Life sciences   1,113,453   1,020,982   929,175   833,824   822,419   789,230   737,271   678,247   676,105   631,729
        Agricultural sciences   131,596   124,227   114,152   106,374   121,012   118,509   111,399   97,306   103,817   91,244
        Biological and biomedical sciences   376,246   347,213   356,105   317,690   311,954   314,443   298,172   299,232   318,787   129,065
        Health sciences   562,497   509,376   429,280   384,742   370,944   336,554   309,881   265,474   237,962   402,728
        Natural resources and conservation   26,053   25,621   21,287   17,553   18,509   19,673   17,802   16,177   15,525   0
        Life sciences nec   17,061   14,545   8,351   7,465   0   51   17   58   14   8,692
      Mathematics and statistics   4,370   4,173   3,287   2,467   3,323   3,341   3,494   2,797   2,988   3,212
      Physical sciences   153,702   136,751   120,697   120,151   121,218   122,968   122,144   112,256   105,986   105,562
        Astronomy and astrophysics   13,269   13,639   11,667   11,395   10,728   15,005   11,537   11,440   11,670   12,223
        Chemistry   33,256   32,543   30,250   27,978   27,423   26,542   25,958   25,643   24,456   21,596
        Materials science   4,345   4,087   3,515   3,682   4,382   4,493   5,178   4,809   5,007   0
        Physics   63,053   55,446   51,692   53,686   48,658   50,551   47,530   44,463   42,635   67,962
        Physical sciences nec   39,779   31,036   23,573   23,410   30,027   26,377   31,941   25,901   22,218   3,781
      Psychology   12,943   12,439   11,971   11,273   11,516   12,682   11,245   11,558   12,740   13,717
      Social sciences   32,283   30,044   23,814   22,269   25,622   29,183   31,266   44,774   43,438   41,127
        Anthropology   516   395   376   166   257   311   224   273   218   0
        Economics   3,759   3,451   2,387   2,493   2,418   3,319   2,268   18,194   17,494   21,703
        Political science and government   2,728   2,333   2,539   1,809   1,391   1,391   1,107   544   487   733
        Sociology, demography, and population studies   4,999   6,846   5,005   4,912   9,156   12,303   14,832   13,787   14,170   16,644
        Social sciences nec   20,281   17,019   13,507   12,889   12,400   11,859   12,835   11,976   11,069   2,047
      Sciences nec   244   145   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   2,139
    Engineering   176,068   149,807   125,320   118,621   123,703   110,545   92,590   85,162   88,512   104,481
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering   6,092   3,760   3,107   3,070   3,050   3,016   2,882   2,961   3,149   92
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering   29,035   24,099   20,839   21,468   18,636   15,464   12,192   8,543   8,634   11,872
      Chemical engineering   17,428   20,122   15,313   13,962   12,915   12,347   9,572   10,510   10,709   10,934
      Civil engineering   16,391   11,875   9,915   8,420   8,567   8,204   7,091   5,677   5,905   5,301
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering   39,261   31,490   25,771   22,815   25,517   22,739   16,595   17,366   17,888   17,711
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering   5,142   5,070   5,503   4,214   4,657   4,427   3,948   3,901   4,158   0
      Mechanical engineering   20,689   20,194   18,703   18,104   20,086   18,812   15,736   13,686   11,445   11,746
      Metallurgical and materials engineering   28,037   23,686   18,154   18,557   19,421   17,173   16,357   14,806   14,249   12,691
      Engineering nec   13,993   9,511   8,015   8,011   10,854   8,363   8,217   7,712   12,375   34,134
    Non-S&E   70,385   59,047   49,756   40,205   42,944   40,724   37,881   21,312   18,015   7,993
      Business management and business administration   22,817   20,570   17,796   3,961   5,459   5,472   4,584   5,183   3,886   2,085
      Communication and communications technologies   9,152   7,256   5,860   5,709   4,985   3,919   5,199   5,001   5,107   667
      Education   399   457   441   218   399   498   0   0   0   0
      Humanities   3,811   3,039   2,242   1,626   2,145   2,104   1,720   2,701   2,437   3,558
      Law   1,604   1,195   992   612   654   772   943   1,239   1,016   868
      Social work   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
      Visual and performing arts   625   337   2,837   2,830   2,843   2,780   2,436   2,245   2,140   431
      Non-S&E nec   31,977   26,193   19,588   25,249   26,459   25,179   22,999   4,943   3,429   384

NOTES:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Open printer friendly view

Back to Top of page.