Spending on academic research rose 6.9% in 2011 – Inside Higher Ed

Research university administrators are understandably jittery about the fiscal cliff facing policy makers in Washington, given the prospect that federal budget cutbacks would shave — if not savage — government funds for academic research and development.

A report released Wednesday by the National Science Foundation provides a reminder about how painful the fall off the cliff might be. The agency’s annual look at research spending by universities — which is driven heavily by federal funds — shows that R&D spending surged to its highest level ever in 2011, to $65.1 billion. That was up 6.3 percent from 2010’s $61.2 billion, with both years’ figures inflated by funds included in the economic stimulus law that Congress passed in 2009.