Useful Stats: Continuing Free Fall: Industry Share of Academic R&D by State, 2004

In each of the last five years, the percentage of U.S. academic R&D supported by industry has declined. Real dollar expenditures also have declined to only $2.107 billion. NSF wrote in an April 2006 Issue Brief, "The industrial sector is the first source of academic R&D funding to show a multiyear decline since the survey began, in FY 1953... Industry's share of academic R&D support in FY 2004 equaled its share in FY 1983, at 4.9 percent."



Understanding the reasons behind the trend are important before too many conclusions are drawn but one may ask: Should state and local policymakers for TBED be developing approaches to change the direction of the trend?



Probably.



Using the National Science Foundation's Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, FY 2004, SSTI has prepared two tables: the Aug. 21 table presented in the Digest that compiles the change for statistic in each state during the five-year period 2000-2004 and a new table presenting industry's share of total academic R&D expenditures in 2004 by state. Rankings are also included. [Editor's Note: The Aug. 21 table has been updated to reflect updated data for previous years. Our thanks to Harry Andrist of the Ohio Board of Regents for bringing the updated data to our attention.]

 

The U.S. as a whole had an average of 4.91 percent of their total 2004 academic R&D expenditures funded by industrial sources. Twenty states showed a percentage greater than the national average, with Alaska leading the nation at 11.56 percent. North Carolina (10.52 percent), Hawaii (8.80 percent), Pennsylvania (7.04 percent), Indiana (6.56 percent), Nebraska (6.45 percent), Massachusetts (6.10 percent), Virginia (6 percent), Arizona (5.98 percent) and Vermont (5.93 percent) complete the top 10.

 

SSTI's table showing all 50 states and the District of Columbia's industry share of 2004 academic R&D expenditures can be found at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/090406t.htm



Updated 2003 data is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/091905t.htm

 

For 2000-02 data, please visit: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/083004t.htm