UW-Madison research support continues growth arc

The latest statistics from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) show that scholars at the University of Wisconsin–Madison continue to be among the nation’s most successful at securing support for their research.

Ranked third among all U.S. universities, total fiscal year 2010 research expenditures at UW–Madison topped out at slightly more than $1 billion, showing an increase of about $15 million over the 2009 fiscal year.

Surveying 742 colleges and universities, the new NSF statistics show UW–Madison trailing only Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan. UW–Madison has consistently ranked among the top five universities reporting research expenditures since NSF began collecting statistics more than 20 years ago.

“We still see growth, which is a big positive in an environment that continues to be extremely competitive,” notes UW–Madison Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate School Dean Martin Cadwallader. “Obtaining extramural support — whether it be from federal, state, industrial or other private sources — becomes more difficult each year. Every dollar is contested, and the success we have is testimony to the creativity and hard work of our faculty, staff and students.”

The figures reported by NSF, instituting a new reporting survey, are across all disciplines, including the arts, humanities, business, social sciences, education, and science and engineering. Included are funds from all sources, federal, private and state, with federal funding amounting to the largest fraction of support.