• The University of Florida (UF) reported a 15 percent increase in research spending for Fiscal Year 2023, reaching a record expenditure level of $1.25 billion.
• The increase was driven by funding from the federal government ($530 million) and state and local governments ($200 million), both of which saw 13 percent increases compared to the previous year. The university also achieved over $1 billion in external awards for the first time. 
• A majority of the research spending is concentrated within its six UF Health colleges, making up more than $500 million of the total expenditure rate.

The University of Florida (UF) this week reported a 15 percent increase in research spending for Fiscal Year 2023, totaling $1.25 billion. The record expenditure level comes one year after the university surpassed $1 billion in spending for the first time.

The figure was largely driven by $530 million in spending on projects funded by the federal government and nearly $200 million in state and local government investments, both of which are 13 percent increases compared to the year prior.

UF also exceeded $1 billion in external awards for the first time in its history, comprised of contributions from the federal government ($792 million), state and local governments ($77 million), private foundations ($98 million), and industry partners ($61 million).

“Since 2012, UF research expenditures have increased by nearly 80 percent, nearly doubling the rate of growth for university research spending nationally,” said David Norton, vice president for research at UF. “This success is a testament to the remarkable talent and dedication of our research faculty, post-docs, staff, and students, as well as our focus on addressing opportunities and challenges that are highly relevant locally, nationally, and globally across all disciplines.”

A substantial portion of UF’s research spending is concentrated within its six UF Health colleges. The College of Medicine utilizes the highest level of spending with $378 million, followed by the College of Public Health & Health Professions ($34.9 million), the College of Pharmacy ($34.8 million), the College of Veterinary Medicine ($31.3 million), the College of Dentistry ($18.7 million), and the College of Nursing ($5 million). The current Fiscal Year also marked the first full year of integration of the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, contributing a further $97.6 million in research spending.

UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences also accounted for a considerable portion of total research spending, with more than $300 million, while the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering conducted $148.4 million in research.

With the spending metric, UF becomes one of 35 public and private institutions in the United States with annual research spending exceeding $1 billion. In the most recent Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) report, based on 2021 data, UF ranked 16th among public universities and 27th overall.

Broadly speaking, UF accounts for approximately 40 percent of the State University System’s $2.3 billion in annual research spending. Recent studies estimate that research conducted at Florida’s state universities contributes around $4 billion to the statewide economy.