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.
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)
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.
| Public Research Universities | Rank | Expenditures (in thousands) |
|---|---|---|
| UC, San Francisco | 1 | 2,127,637 |
| Michigan | 2 | 2,110,961 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 1,933,229 |
| UCLA | 4 | 1,896,227 |
| UC San Diego | 5 | 1,881,289 |
| Washington | 6 | 1,691,302 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 1,598,751 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 1,581,570 |
| Maryland | 9 | 1,539,520 |
| Georgia Tech | 10 | 1,528,637 |
| Pittsburgh | 11 | 1,504,665 |
| Minnesota, TC | 12 | 1,409,710 |
| Texas A&M | 13 | 1,393,825 |
| U Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Cr | 14 | 1,363,321 |
| Penn State | 15 | 1,302,971 |
| Florida | 16 | 1,272,493 |
| Texas | 17 | 1,143,917 |
| UC Berkeley | 18 | 1,126,782 |
| Arizona | 19 | 1,012,404 |
| UC Davis | 20 | 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
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
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
| Statistic | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 tech transfer metrics for FY25.