Michigan State University in East Lansing has reported nearly $992.3 million in research spending for FY 2025, according to data submitted to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey.
The total mark, a 6.5 percent increase over 2024, sets a new record and moves MSU within striking distance of its goal to reach $1 billion in research expenditures by 2030.
MSU’s research expenditures cover a wide range of disciplines and fields of study, including investigations leading to cleaner water, more nutritious food, sustainable energy, and treatments and cures for illnesses.
“Our research expenditures reflect the outstanding work of MSU’s faculty, staff, and students,” says Doug Gage, vice president for research and innovation at MSU. “Together, they make MSU an exceptional hub for scientific and scholarly inquiry that advances knowledge and benefits our communities now and into the future.”
Over the past several years, the university has invested in:
- Modernized facilities and advanced equipment.
- Recruitment of top faculty in high-priority research areas.
- The Global Impact Initiative,which has added more than 100 faculty members and produced strong returns on investment.
- Cross-campus collaboration that brings together scientists, engineers, social scientists, educators, communicators, business experts, and legal scholars.
“The 2025 expenditures are a product of our best federal award funding year ever and reflect MSU’s sustained investment in growing our research enterprise,” Gage says.
The balanced growth across disciplines underscores MSU’s commitment to interdisciplinary research. Many of today’s most pressing challenges, from climate resilience to public health to food security, require expertise from multiple fields working together.
MSU’s collaborative model is visible across campus:
- The MSU Water Allianceand the School of Packaging tackle water and sustainability challenges.
- The Facility for Rare Isotope Beamsdrives discoveries in medicine, materials science, workforce development, and national security.
- Cancer research continues to expand, strengthened by collaboration between MSU and Henry Ford Healthto improve care and to reduce health disparities.
- Community-engaged scholars in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health partner directly with communities to improve health and well-being.
- Agricultural researchers lead innovation in crop development, sustainability and food safety that directly benefits Michigan farmers.
The MSU Research Foundation plays a key role in translating research into economic development. Working alongside the Office of Research and Innovation and the MSU Innovation Center, the foundation helps move discoveries from the lab to the marketplace by connecting researchers with capital, industry and talent.
In 2025, the MSU Innovation Center recorded record-high activity, including:
- 198 invention disclosures from faculty and students
- 63 newly issued patents
- Record growth in startup companies based on faculty innovations
- More than $22 million in corporate-supported research and student initiatives
These numbers represent tangible outcomes — new products, therapies and companies that grow Michigan’s economy and improve lives.
With continued investment, strategic hiring, and growing partnerships across industries and communities, MSU states it is positioned for sustained success.
For more information, visit MSU’s Office of Research and Innovation’s Facts and Figures page.
