Leading Research Universities Report

New data from the National Science Foundation show that investment in research and development continues to increase in the United States, with an estimated total of $993 billion of R&D performed in 2024 – but that the increase tilts heavily toward developmental research rather than fundamental, curiosity-driven research.

AAU staff took part in the National Humanities Alliance’s (NHA) annual meeting and joined delegations from across the United States on Humanities Advocacy Day to advocate on Capitol Hill for federal funding for humanities programs and to underscore the positive impact that humanities research investment has on our nation.

Last week, AAU submitted a comment letter urging the Department of Education to delay finalizing a proposed rule that would implement changes to the federal student loan programs initially enacted last year in the H.R. 1 reconciliation bill.

In a recent comment letter, AAU encouraged the Department of Energy to establish new dual-competency training pathways that help students gain both AI fluency and deep expertise in a scientific or engineering field.

Over the past six months, several AAU universities have announced efforts to expand free tuition programs for students from families earning an income of $100,000-$200,000.

Lawmakers have reached agreement on legislation that would reauthorize two crucial federal programs that facilitate innovation by making it easier for startups and other small businesses to bring research discoveries to market.

New findings from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation suggest that current students and graduates feel much more positive than the general public about their campus experiences and the value of their degrees.

At a recent DOE summit, university and science philanthropy leaders came together to begin developing a vision for success for the Genesis Mission, a national initiative that seeks to harness the power of AI to solve the most difficult challenges facing the nation.

AAU member institutions are once again overrepresented in an annual ranking of universities worldwide that patented the most inventions. The rankings, released by the National Academy of Inventors, are based on the number of utility patents granted to universities by the United States Patent and Trademark Office each year, and demonstrate the crucial role research universities play in the global innovation ecosystem.

A widely recognized list of researchers who are most often cited by their peers shows that the United States, powered by scientists at America’s research universities, continues to produce more highly cited researchers than any other nation. However, U.S. dominance is eroding as China rapidly gains ground.