Federally Funded R&D Centers Report 13% Increase in R&D Spending in FY 2023

NSF 24-330

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July 15, 2024

The nation’s 42 federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) spent $29.3 billion on research and development (R&D) in FY 2023, an annual increase of 12.7% in current dollars (table 1). The federal government funded $28.9 billion of the R&D total, which represented a 12.8% annual increase in federal support to FFRDCs. FY 2023 was the 10th consecutive year of nominal growth after 2 years of R&D expenditure declines in FYs 2011–13. The most recent decline in constant dollars occurred from FY 2021 to FY 2022. In constant dollars, total FFRDC R&D expenditures rose an average of 2.6% annually from FY 2013 to FY 2023 (figure 1). Average annual growth in current dollars was 5.2% during the same period. (All amounts and calculations are reported in current dollars unless otherwise noted. All growth rates are compound annual growth rates.) These and the other statistics in this report come from the FY 2023 FFRDC Research and Development Survey, conducted by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the U.S. National Science Foundation.

R&D expenditures at federally funded research and development centers, by source of funds: FYs 2013–23

(Thousands of current dollars)
Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, FFRDC Research and Development Survey.

Total R&D expenditures at federally funded research and development centers: FYs 2013–23
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Total R&D expenditures at federally funded research and development centers: FYs 2013–23

(Millions of dollars)
Fiscal year Constant 2017 dollars Current dollars
2013 18,642 17,667
2014 18,377 17,719
2015 18,966 18,458
2016 19,564 19,220
2017 20,038 20,038
2018 20,698 21,172
2019 21,861 22,738
2020 22,314 23,514
2021 22,612 24,921
2022 22,045 26,007
2023 23,977 29,317
Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, FFRDC Research and Development Survey.

R&D by Funding Source

Federal funding sources accounted for 98.5% ($28.9 billion) of FFRDC R&D expenditures in FY 2023 (table 1). This level of support is typical for FFRDCs, which are privately operated R&D organizations that are exclusively or substantially financed by the federal government. Nonfederal sources funded the remaining R&D, which totaled $436.9 million: businesses ($224.4 million); nonprofit organizations ($42.3 million); state and local governments ($35.4 million); and all other sources ($134.8 million), such as funds from foreign governments and foreign or U.S. universities.

Federal Agency Sources of R&D Funding

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD) combined to account for 77.4% of federally funded R&D expenditures at FFRDCs (table 2). DOE accounted for 56.7% ($16.4 billion) of the federally funded spending, and DOD accounted for 20.7% ($6.0 billion). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ($2.9 billion, or 10.1% of the total) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ($1.3 billion, or 4.6% of the total), which includes the National Institutes of Health, were the only other agencies funding greater than $1 billion. Almost $2.3 billion of federally funded R&D came from agencies other than the largest four. FFRDCs identified 21 other agencies as sources of federal funding in FY 2023 (table 3).

Federally financed R&D expenditures at federally funded research and development centers, by federal agency and FFRDC: FY 2023

(Thousands of current dollars)

DHS = Department of Homeland Security; DOD = Department of Defense; DOE = Department of Energy; DOT = Department of Transportation; FFRDC = federally funded research and development center; HHS = Department of Health and Human Services; NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration; NSF = National Science Foundation.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, FFRDC Research and Development Survey, FY 2023.

Federally financed R&D expenditures at federally funded research and development centers, by federal agency: FY 2023

(Thousands of current dollars)

a Some funding sources were not identified for security reasons or because the original source was not known.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, FFRDC Research and Development Survey, FY 2023.

Expenditures, by Type of R&D

In FY 2023, basic research activities accounted for 20% of total FFRDC R&D expenditures or $5.9 billion (figure 2). The remaining R&D expenditures were closely divided between applied research (40.7%, or $11.9 billion) and experimental development (39.4%, or $11.5 billion). These shares have changed only slightly over the last 5 fiscal years.

R&D expenditures at federally funded research and development centers, by type of R&D: FY 2023
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R&D expenditures at federally funded research and development centers, by type of R&D: FY 2023

(Percent and billions of current dollars)
Type of R&D Percent Billions of current dollars
Basic research 20.0 5.9
Applied research 40.7 11.9
Experimental development 39.4 11.5
Note(s):

Percentages are based on unrounded data available in the survey's data tables. Because of rounding, detail may not add to total.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, FFRDC Research and Development Survey.

Data Sources, Limitations, and Availability

The statistics on FFRDC R&D expenditures presented in this report come from the FY 2023 FFRDC Research and Development Survey. This annual survey is completed by FFRDC administrators and collects data from FFRDCs on R&D expenditures by source of funds (federal government, state and local governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations, or other); federal agency source; type of R&D (basic research, applied research, or experimental development); type of cost (salaries, software, equipment, subcontracts, other direct costs, and indirect costs); R&D personnel headcounts and full-time equivalents; and total operating budget. This survey has been a census of the full population of FFRDCs since FY 2001. For a list of criteria used to define the set of FFRDCs, see the general guidelines of the Master Government List of FFRDCs at https://ncses.nsf.gov/resource/master-gov-lists-ffrdc/general-notes.

The full set of data tables from this survey and more information on the survey methodology are available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/ffrdc-research-development/2023.

Notes

1For annual totals from FY 2001 to FY 2023, see the full set of data tables: table 1.

2For FFRDC sponsoring agencies and locations, see the full set of data tables: table 6. The Master Government List of FFRDCs also provides details on sponsoring agencies, administrator types, locations, general and historical notes.

3For type of R&D from FY 2001 to FY 2023, see the full set of data tables: table 2.

Suggested Citation

Gibbons MT; National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). 2024. Federally Funded R&D Centers Report 13% Increase in R&D Spending in FY 2023. NSF 24-330. Alexandria, VA: U.S. National Science Foundation. Available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf24330/.

Contact Us

Report Author

Michael T. Gibbons
Survey Manager
NCSES
Tel: (703) 292-4590
E-mail: mgibbons@nsf.gov

NCSES

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
U.S. National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W14200
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: (703) 292-8780
FIRS: (800) 877-8339
TDD: (800) 281-8749
E-mail: ncsesweb@nsf.gov

NSF 24-330

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July 15, 2024