Wichita State University moved to No. 2 on the national list of industry-funded engineering and research and development, according to the latest data compiled by the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

NSF’s latest data ranks U.S. universities in various categories, including R&D spending broken down by subfield and funding source.

For fiscal year 2022, Wichita State reported R&D expenditures totaling $261 million, up from $192 million in 2021. Industry-funded R&D expenditures totaled $116.3 million, up from $86 million in 2021.

“We're thrilled to see our focused efforts around research elevate our standing with the National Science Foundation,” said Wichita State President Rick Muma. “This achievement is no accident. Rather, it's the result of the concerted, willful and strategic contributions of the entire Wichita State community. Together, we're shaping a university that serves our community, our state, and the country through impactful, problem-solving research to address the challenges of our world.”

Wichita State also moved up seven places to No. 13 on the list of top universities in total engineering and research and development. For fiscal year 2022, Wichita State reported engineering R&D total expenditures of $226 million, up from $157 million in 2021 and $134 million in 2020.

Wichita State ranks third in all funds for aerospace engineering R&D with $219.7 million. WSU maintains its top ranking for industry-funded aerospace R&D at $115 million.

These rankings put Wichita State among other prestigious engineering universities such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue and Stanford.

With increasing contracts and awards from industry and federal agencies, Wichita State expects to continue climbing the ranks in the NSF’s survey. The 2023 numbers will be compiled by NSF and published in late 2024.

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Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research provides research, testing, certification and training for aviation and manufacturing technologies. Established in 1985, NIAR has a +$190 million annual budget; 1,200 employees and nearly 1.6 million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. NIAR laboratories include Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Coatings, Advanced Manufacturing, Ballistics/Impact Dynamics, Composites/Advanced Materials, Crash Dynamics, Digital Twin, Engineering Design/Modification, Environmental/ Electromagnetic Test, Full-Scale Structural Test, Nondestructive Test, Reverse Engineering, Robotics/Automation, Virtual Engineering, eXtended Reality and the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel.

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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