The University of Oklahoma climbed one spot, from No. 72 to No. 71, in the nation for overall research expenditures, according to the recently published Higher Education Research and Development survey from the National Science Foundation. OU remains No. 1 in the country for the fourth year in a row for atmospheric science and meteorology and among the top 8% of research universities in the nation for the second year.
"The rising momentum of our research enterprise stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to drive research at the University of Oklahoma to unsurpassed heights," said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. "This promising growth reflects the talent and vitality of our world-class research community, who consistently push the boundaries of knowledge in pursuit of life-changing discoveries. We are encouraged by this exciting progress and anticipate even greater achievements in the future."
The HERD survey is the leading report for higher education research and development expenditures each fiscal year, providing an annual census of institutions that expended at least $150,000 for research and development in the fiscal year. This year's report for fiscal year 2022 compared research expenditures reported by 899 research-intensive universities.
OU came in No. 6 in the nation as the institution for the highest research expenditures from funding granted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, attributable to OU's collaborations with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through radar innovations and leadership of the Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations, or CIWRO. Additionally, four OU projects were awarded $24.9 million through the Build Back Better Regional Challenge of the U.S. Economic Development Administration to develop facilities, clinical trials, research labs and a biotech entrepreneurial pipeline.
OU ranked No. 12 in the nation for research expenditures from grant funding awarded by both NASA and the U.S. Department of Education. From initiatives to train mental health counselors to support rural Oklahoma school districts to research improving teacher and student outcomes in Head Start preschool programs and more, research expenditures from funding by the Department of Education have more than doubled since 2018.
"The rate at which OU faculty, staff and students have embraced the university's Lead On strategic plan, specifically pillar 5, which calls on our role in enriching and positively impacting Oklahoma, the nation and the world through research and creative activity, is just incredible," said OU Vice President for Research and Partnerships Tomás Díaz de la Rubia. "We're celebrating our fifth year of research growth in these rankings, but the real impact is how this research - the partnerships, the outcomes and the translation of the academic findings into policy, discovery and innovation - changes lives."
The full rankings are available via the NSF website.
