Federal Science and Engineering Support for Academic Institutions Increased 3% in FY 2022; Support to HBCUs Increased 19%

In FY 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) obligated $26.7 billion for S&E support to higher education institutions, or 60% of the federal total (figure 2). NSF, the second-largest funding agency, accounted for $6.9 billion (16% of the total), followed by the Department of Defense (DOD) at $4.5 billion (10%). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) obligated $2.1 billion (5%) and $1.9 billion (4%), respectively. The Department of Energy (DOE) obligations totaled $1.5 billion (3%), and all other agencies combined totaled $1.0 billion (2%).^{​All other agencies include the Agency for International Development, Appalachian Regional Commission, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Social Security Administration.}

In FY 2022, federal agencies obligated funding to 1,089 institutions of higher education in the United States; however, the top 25 recipient institutions of federal obligations for S&E support accounted for $18.2 billion, or 41% of all federal funding to all institutions of higher education (table 2). Of the $18.2 billion obligated to these 25 institutions, $17.4 billion (96%) was for R&D and $609 million (3%) was for FTTGs. The top 100 recipient institutions combined received 80% ($35.7 billion) of all federal obligations for S&E support to higher education. Therefore, the remaining 989 institutions received a total of $8.9 billion in S&E support.^{​Details available in the full set of data tables: table 17.} Johns Hopkins University was the single largest recipient of federal obligations for S&E ($1.8 billion), followed by the University of Washington ($928 million).^{​Johns Hopkins University includes the Applied Physics Laboratory, a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). For more information on UARCs see https://rt.cto.mil/ffrdc-uarc/.}

Although federal obligations for S&E support across all institutions increased 3.3% in FY 2022, federal obligations to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)^{​The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as “any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary (of Education) to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.”} for S&E support increased 19.2%, from $552 million in FY 2021 to $658 million in FY 2022 (figure 3). When adjusted for inflation, federal obligations to HBCUs increased 11.4%, from $506 million in FY 2021 to $564 million in FY 2022. Although the adjustment to constant dollars shows S&E support continually increasing since FY 2017, the FY 2022 amount is below the previous high of $599 million that was set in FY 2004 (constant dollars).

Fifty-nine of the nation’s 107 HBCUs received federal obligations for S&E activities in FY 2022. The USDA was the largest funder of S&E support to HBCUs with $249 million (38%). HHS and NSF had total S&E support obligations of $193 million (29%) and $131 million (20%), respectively (figure 4). DOD accounted for $55 million in obligations to HBCUs (8%), and all other agencies combined made up the difference of $30 million (5%).^{​In FY 2022, all other agencies included the Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Social Security Administration. Details available in the full set of data tables: table 23.} The 15 HBCUs receiving the largest amounts of federal S&E support accounted for nearly 66% ($431 million) of all S&E support obligations to HBCUs (table 3). These top 15 HBCUs also received 66% ($328 million) of all federal obligations for R&D to HBCUs, 58% ($64 million) of obligations for FTTGs, 91% ($11 million) of obligations for R&D plant, and 73% ($27 million) of other general support for S&E. In total, FTTGs’ share of all federal S&E support was much larger in HBCUs (17%) than in all universities and colleges (4%). Obligations for R&D plant represent a small proportion of overall S&E obligations within HBCUs and all academic institutions. In FY 2022, obligations to HBCUs for R&D plant totaled $12 million, or 2% of total S&E obligations to HBCUs. In comparison, R&D plant funding to all academic institutions totaled $513 million, or 1% of all S&E obligations. FY 2022 federal obligations to HBCUs for FTTGs and R&D plant increased 8.5% and 40.4%, respectively, from FY 2021.^{​Details available in the full set of data tables: table 22 for FY 2021 and FY 2022.} The relative emphasis on supporting research capacity reflects a longstanding approach by federal agencies to support research capacity in minority-serving institutions.

Effective with the FY 2021 survey cycle, the Survey of Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions has been collected as a module within Federal Funds for R&D. For FY 2022, data were obtained from 32 federal agencies (14 federal departments and 18 independent agencies) that had obligations for R&D during FY 2022 or FY 2023. Because multiple subdivisions of some federal departments completed the survey, there were 72 agency-level responses: 6 federal departments, 48 agencies (within another 8 federal departments), and 18 independent agencies. However, lower offices could also be authorized to enter data: in the Federal Funds for R&D nomenclature, agency-level offices could authorize program offices, program offices could authorize field offices, and field offices could authorize branch offices. When these suboffices are included, there were 725 total respondents: 72 agencies, 95 program offices, 178 field offices, and 380 branch offices. Of these, 47 agencies, 59 program offices, 72 field offices, and 22 branch offices reported obligations within the Federal S&E Support module. The module collects federal S&E support data by funding agency, individually named institution, type of activity, type of institution, and geographic location.

The six funding categories of federal S&E support are defined as follows:

• Research and experimental development (R&D) includes all direct, indirect, incidental, or related costs resulting from or necessary to perform R&D by private individuals and organizations under grant, contract, or cooperative agreement.
• R&D plant includes all projects whose principal purpose is to provide support for construction, acquisition, renovation, modification, repair, or rental of facilities, land, works, or fixed equipment for use in scientific or engineering R&D.
• Facilities and equipment for S&E instruction includes all programs whose principal purpose is to provide support for construction, acquisition, renovation, modification, repair, or rental of facilities, land, works, or equipment for use in instruction in S&E.
• Fellowships, traineeships, and training grants (FTTGs) includes all fellowship, traineeship, and training grant programs that are directed primarily toward the development and maintenance of the scientific workforce.
• General support for S&E includes funds used for scientific projects and support for activities within a specified discipline; explicit purpose is not specified.
• Other S&E activities includes all academic S&E obligations that cannot be assigned elsewhere and activities in support of technical conferences, teacher institutes, and programs aimed at increasing precollege and undergraduate students' scientific knowledge.

The Federal Science and Engineering Support module within Federal Funds for R&D is a census of federal agencies that fund R&D and S&E support. As such, there is no sampling error; however, survey data are still subject to some degree of unmeasurable nonsampling error which may include errors in classification or measurement of certain aspects of an agency’s S&E support. For additional information, see “Survey Quality Measures” within the technical notes of the survey. The full set of data tables on the FY 2022 Survey of Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions are available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/federal-support-survey/2022/#data. Data for the survey are also available in NCSES's interactive data tool. For more information, please contact the survey manager.

Pece C; National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). 2024. Federal Science and Engineering Support for Academic Institutions Increased 3% in FY 2022; Support to HBCUs Increased 19%. NSF 24-325. Alexandria, VA: U.S. National Science Foundation. Available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf24325.

Christopher V. Pece
Survey Manager
NCSES
Tel: (703) 292-7788
E-mail: cpece@nsf.gov

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
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