UMN Research Statistics

Report of the University of Minnesota Research Enterprise

Decorative element

The Research and Innovation Office tracks key research metrics for the University of Minnesota, including national rankings, proposals and awards, sponsored expenditures, and technology commercialization performance measures.

Faculty and staff seeking detailed data, including college level statistics from previous years, can access the .

Research Expenditures

University of Minnesota researchers fueled another record-breaking year in annual research and development (R&D) expenditures, according to FY24 data (the most recent available) from the National Science Foundation HERD Survey. In the FY24 HERD survey data release, the University posted over $1.41 billion in R&D expenditures at the Twin Cities campus, a 7.0% increase over FY23. That expenditure level resulted in the University again ranking 12th among U.S. public research universities, matching FY23’s ranking.

Owing to HERD survey reporting requirements imposed by NSF, the University’s $1.41 billion represents only research expenditures for the Twin Cities campus. When all University of Minnesota campuses are reported together, total systemwide R&D expenditures are $1.44 billion, which represents a 6.7% increase over FY23.
 

UMTC Research Expenditures (FY16-24)

Bar graph depicting a year-over-year increase in Research Expenditures.
Dollar amounts in millions. HERD Survey; Office of Research Information Systems - Data Services
Alternative format: HERD Research Expenditures

UMTC ranked 10th among the same group according to another ranking, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU/Shanghai), and 51st among all world universities.
 

Top US Public Research Institutions

Public Research UniversitiesRankExpenditures
(in thousands)
UC, San Francisco1 2,127,637 
Michigan2 2,110,961 
Wisconsin3 1,933,229 
UCLA4 1,896,227 
UC San Diego5 1,881,289 
Washington6 1,691,302 
North Carolina7 1,598,751 
Ohio State8 1,581,570 
Maryland9 1,539,520 
Georgia Tech10 1,528,637 
Public Research UniversitiesRankExpenditures
(in thousands)
Pittsburgh11 1,504,665 
Minnesota, TC12 1,409,710 
Texas A&M13 1,393,825 
U Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Cr14 1,363,321 
Penn State15 1,302,971 
Florida16 1,272,493 
Texas17 1,143,917 
UC Berkeley18 1,126,782 
Arizona19 1,012,404 
UC Davis20 1,005,757 

Research Awards

University of Minnesota faculty and staff competed for a record $1.22 billion in sponsored research awards in fiscal year (FY) 2025. That award level was the University’s largest, with an increase of 15.6% ($164.8M) from the previous year.

Awards by Source: All Campuses, FY25

Pie chart depicting funding sources: $376M Federal-NIH (30.8%); $68.4M Federal-NSF(5.6%); $215.2M Federal-Other(17.6%); $200.3M Business/Industry(16.4%); $108.1M Subawards (8.8%); $128.5M Foundations/Associations(10.5%); $126.1M State & Local(10.3%).
Dollar amounts in millions.
Alternative format: Awards by Source

The University received over half of its sponsored research funding (54%) from federal sources. In FY25, federal awards totaled $660 million and non-federal awards totaled $563 million. Of the federal research support, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) continued to be the University’s largest single federal funding source, totaling $376 million. This amount represents an increase (+5.7%) compared to the previous year.

Awards by College and Campus: All Campuses, FY25

Pie chart depicting awards by college/campus: $363M Medical School; $366.5M Other Health Sciences; $177.9M Science/Engineering; $134.3M Other Campuses; $91.4M Food, Ag., Natural Resources; $59.4M Education/Human Development; $30.1M Biological Sciences.
Dollar amounts in millions
Alternative format: Awards by College and Campus

The Medical School and the University’s other health science schools together accounted for $729.5 million, or 59.7% of total FY25 awards. The Medical School comprised $363.0 million of that amount, with other health sciences (Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Office of Academic Clinical Affairs, Dentistry, Nursing, and Public Health) receiving $366.5 million.
 

Technology Commercialization

Statistics, FY20-FY25202020212022202320242025
New Licenses

235

236

211

231

226

248

Current Revenue Generating Agreements

601

575

467

448

448

517

Startup Companies Formed 

19

20

22

23

25

26

Invention Disclosures 

397

332

315

360

375

450

New Patent Filings 

152

126

156

146

139

116

Issued Patents (US & Foreign) 

182

181

241

234

188

189

 

FY25 technology transfer metrics included a record breaking number of startups (26). Gross revenue remained strong, with the University securing licensing revenue of $20.04 million, a major portion of which was reinvested back into UMN research. In addition, 226 new licensing deals were executed, and 448 revenue generating agreements were created or maintained.

FY25 was a record year for invention disclosures from faculty and other researchers, which increased to 450. FY25 also saw the highest number of disclosures from first time inventors (219).

The University’s technology transfer work has been recognized for its excellence in national and global rankings, including:

  • Ranked 3rd (tie) in startup creation among public universities (tied for 3rd overall) - AUTM 2024.
  • Ranked 4th (tie) in new license deals among public universities - AUTM 2024.
  • Ranked 6th in new invention disclosures among public universities - AUTM 2024.
  • Top 20 among public universities for five key tech transfer metrics: Startups (3rd, tie), deals (4th, tie), disclosures (6th), new patent applications (16th), and license income (12th) - AUTM Survey, 2024.
  • Discovery Capital program set a new record of eight investments totaling $2.8 million, leveraging an additional $42 million in external investments.
     

See UMN Technology Commercialization Statistics for new tech transfer metrics for FY25. 

2025 Annual Report

Thumbnail of printed annual report Text: Research & Innovation Annual Report 2025

Report Materials

Research Highlights

Annual Report Archive
Previous years' reports are available in the RIO Annual Report Archives.