Harvard University research and development spending, FY2024
- Cambridge, MA
- R1
- Private nonprofit
- Standard form filer
Harvard University in FY2024
$1.5 billion
spent on research and development in FY2024, as reported to the NSF HERD Survey
- National rank
- #19 of 925
- Change on FY2023
- up 4.1%
- Rank change
- down 4
Harvard University reported $1.5 billion of research and development spending in FY2024, ranking #19 of the 925 institutions in the survey. That is up 4.1% on FY2023's $1.4 billion; its national rank was down 4 places. Federal government is its largest funding source at 45.0% ($672.9 million), followed by institution funds at 35.2%. Its largest field of research is life sciences, $817.9 million or 54.7% of the total.
Over time
Research spending, FY2010 to FY2024
Standard-form totals FY2010 onwards as revised by NCSES in the newest release; rank is within that series.
Year-by-year figures
| Fiscal year | R&D expenditure | Rank in series |
|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | $583.4 million | 30 |
| FY2011 | $649.8 million | 27 |
| FY2012 | $799.4 million | 17 |
| FY2013 | $1.0 billion | 7 |
| FY2014 | $934.0 million | 11 |
| FY2015 | $1.0 billion | 10 |
| FY2016 | $1.1 billion | 8 |
| FY2017 | $1.1 billion | 9 |
| FY2018 | $1.2 billion | 9 |
| FY2019 | $1.2 billion | 9 |
| FY2020 | $1.2 billion | 9 |
| FY2021 | $1.3 billion | 10 |
| FY2022 | $1.3 billion | 13 |
| FY2023 | $1.4 billion | 15 |
| FY2024 | $1.5 billion | 19 |
FY2024 breakdown
Where the money came from, and what it paid for
FY2024 funding sources and research fields
Funding sources
The 6 NSF funding sources Harvard University reported in FY2024, largest first. Shares are of its own FY2024 total, and the rank is national within that source.
| Source | FY2024 | Share | Change on FY2023 | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal government | $672.9 million | 45.0% | +5.2% | 29 |
| Institution funds | $525.9 million | 35.2% | +7.6% | 4 |
| Nonprofit organizations | $193.8 million | 13.0% | −4.4% | 3 |
| Business | $63.6 million | 4.3% | −11.1% | 30 |
| All other sources | $32.5 million | 2.2% | +16.2% | 28 |
| State and local government | $5.8 million | 0.4% | +36.9% | 157 |
| All sources | $1.5 billion | 100.0% | +4.1% | 19 |
Fields of research
The 10 NSF research fields Harvard University reported in FY2024, largest first.
| Field | FY2024 | Share | Change on FY2023 | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life sciences | $817.9 million | 54.7% | +3.1% | 29 |
| Social sciences | $182.9 million | 12.2% | +8.1% | 2 |
| Non-S&E | $156.3 million | 10.5% | +13.1% | 3 |
| Physical sciences | $136.1 million | 9.1% | +1.0% | 10 |
| Engineering | $106.3 million | 7.1% | +6.4% | 50 |
| Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences | $29.8 million | 2.0% | −1.6% | 44 |
| Computer and information sciences | $25.8 million | 1.7% | −10.8% | 40 |
| Mathematics and statistics | $24.1 million | 1.6% | +21.1% | 4 |
| Other sciences | $8.5 million | 0.6% | −33.0% | 47 |
| Psychology | $6.9 million | 0.5% | −15.8% | 80 |
Neighbours
Ranked around Harvard University
Institutions ranked immediately above and below
The five institutions ranked above Harvard University and the five below it in the FY2024 national ranking.
| Rank | Institution | FY2024 R&D |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | University of Maryland | $1.5B |
| 15 | Georgia Institute of Technology | $1.5B |
| 16 | Yale University | $1.5B |
| 17 | University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh | $1.5B |
| 18 | New York University | $1.5B |
| 19 | Harvard University | $1.5B |
| 20 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $1.4B |
| 21 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | $1.4B |
| 22 | Texas A&M University, College Station and Health Science Center | $1.4B |
| 23 | University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The | $1.4B |
| 24 | Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $1.3B |
Keep looking
Where this institution sits
Related rankings
Data: NSF HERD FY2024, built from NSF's published tables on September 8, 2026. Page updated September 13, 2026.
Data: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation, Higher Education Research and Development Survey, FY2024.
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