UF research spending at record $1.26 billion for FY2024

University of Florida faculty conducted a record $1.26 billion in research in fiscal year 2024, thanks in part to a nearly 10% increase in federally funded research, compared to FY2023.

“Driven by a spirit of discovery and backed by the state of Florida, UF’s incredible faculty do incredible work,” said Mori Hosseini, chair of UF’s Board of Trustees. “We are proud of our researchers and their teams.”

Federally funded research accounts for about 46% of UF’s total and it has increased 46 percent over the last five years, to a record $581 million in 2024.

“At the University of Florida, we do big things and we solve big problems,” said UF President Ben Sasse. “We are proud to work with government agencies to put our expertise to work. Our discoveries are driving Florida forward.”

Overall, research spending was up about $8 million over last year.

“UF’s partnership with the federal agencies continues to expand, driving a consistent increase in our research expenditures,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “UF faculty are writing highly competitive proposals and winning significant grants to help solve some of society’s most pressing problems, in health care, agriculture, national security and many other areas.” 

This research spending data is based on UF’s response to the National Science Foundation’s annual Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey, which is the national standard in comparing research spending among the hundreds of universities around the country. The numbers reflect spending for the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Research awards also reached a new milestone in 2024 at $1.14 billion, including $768 million from the federal government, $123.5 million from the State of Florida, and $107 million from private foundations.

Public and private agencies typically award multi-year funding to the university based on competitive proposals submitted by researchers. That funding translates into annual spending on salaries; construction; equipment and supplies; and other expenses over the life of the award.

Here are some of the significant new projects receiving funding in 2024:

• The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $15 million to the UF-led Consortium for Nuclear Forensics to develop new tools for tracking nuclear material around the world and to train the next generation of nuclear sleuths to use them.
• The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services awarded UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences $6.2 million to continue to refine best management practices that optimize the use of fertilizers and other nutrients on Florida crops.
• The U.S. Army awarded the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology $5.8 million for research on using small-molecule drugs to target RNA in muscular dystrophy patients.

UF is one of only about 30 public and private universities around the country with more than $1 billion in annual research spending, a list that includes Johns Hopkins, the University of Michigan, UCLA, Harvard, Stanford, Penn State and the University of California-Berkeley. In the most recent HERD report, based on 2022 fiscal year data, UF ranked 15th among public universities and 25th overall.

Nearly half of the research spending was in the six colleges of UF Health, led by the College of Medicine in Gainesville and Jacksonville with $370.5 million; the College of Public Health & Health Professions with $37.3 million; the College of Pharmacy with $36.4 million; the College of Veterinary Medicine with $29 million; the College of Dentistry with $18.9 million; and the College of Nursing with $5.3 million. In addition, the Wertheim UF Scripps Institute accounted for $101 million in research spending.

Researchers in UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) conducted $269.6 million in research addressing the health of crops and livestock important to the state and beyond, including citrus, tomatoes and cattle, and responding to environmental challenges like invasive species and new human and animal diseases.

Engineers in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering conducted $150.4 million in research on such things as cybersecurity, accessibility to computer technology, storm readiness, retail theft deterrence, and robotics.

Faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences conducted $60.2 million in research on diversity of topical areas including black holes, plastics recycling, the exploration of Mars, and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

In the Florida Museum of Natural History, scientists conducted $9.5 million in research on living species like butterflies, birds, and fish, and on fossils like the Megalodon shark and prehistoric elephants. 

The College of Education conducted $21.1 million in research aimed at enhancing “whole school” improvement, from early childhood readiness to teacher preparation and classroom technology advances.

2024 Research Awards by College (rounded):

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (includes IFAS research) – $181.7 million
College of the Arts – $1.1 million
Warrington College of Business – $1.45 million
College of Dentistry – $14.4 million
College of Design, Construction and Planning – $8.7 million
College of Education (includes New World Reading Initiative) – $150.3 million
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering – $130.7 million
College of Health and Human Performance – $13.5 million
College of Journalism and Communications – $7 million
Levin College of Law – $121,160
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – $43.9 million
College of Medicine (Gainesville/Jacksonville) – $372.6 million
College of Nursing – $5.1 million
College of Pharmacy – $23.6 million
College of Public Health and Health Professions – $33.1 million
College of Veterinary Medicine – $15.6 million
Florida Museum of Natural History – $8 million
Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute – $64.8 million

UF accounts for about 40% of the State University System of Florida’s research spending annually. Research at Florida’s state universities has an estimated statewide economic impact of about $4 billion, according to recent studies.

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