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Office of Research and Innovation
ORI Annual Report

Executive Summary

The Office of Research Innovation (ORI) supports and nurtures NC State's research enterprise.

Research awards at NC State have grown steadily over the past three years, at an average annual rate of 10.5%. In February 2025, we started seeing a noticeable, 21% slowdown in new research awards, ending FY25 at $506 million — a 2% decrease from last year. The Proposal Development Unit (PDU) supported the development and submission of 77 large-scale interdisciplinary proposals, which brought in $63 million in awards — over the life of the projects — with another $315 million requested still pending. In addition, the research community submitted 3,390 proposals worth over $1.6 billion in total.

Figure 1. NC State research and development expenditures (based on NSF HERD Survey)

Research expenditures were the highest on record — $717 million — as shown in Figure 1. Based on the recent slowdown in new awards, proposed caps on the negotiated indirect cost rate, and federal budget proposals, NC State’s research expenditures will likely be lower next fiscal year. Federal agencies continue to be the largest sponsors for research expenditures, accounting for $316 million, followed by state, industry and non- profit organizations. NC State’s distribution of expenditures by federal agencies is well-balanced, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Federal Expenditures by Agency (based on NSF HERD Survey data)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) continues to be NC State’s largest federal sponsor, with $71.9 million in expenditures. One of ORI’s strategic goals is to diversify the research funding portfolio — specifically to increase expenditures with the Department of Defense (DoD). Over the last several years, DoD expenditures have ranged from $33-$35 million. This year, NC State saw a significant increase to $49.4 million due largely to the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Hub. NC State is also a leader in funding from the USDA, with a total of $59 million. Overall, federal expenditures this year are up by 13% and our research funding portfolio remains well-balanced; however, the federal funding landscape for next year will be highly competitive due to budget decreases and agency capacity.

NC State is a top-tier research institution, consistently demonstrating leadership in AI, quantum, material science, plant sciences, microelectronics, nuclear energy, advanced manufacturing and more. According to the NSF HERD Report for Fiscal Year 2023, NC State ranks 6th among all public universities without medical schools in overall research expenditures. The university also excels in partnerships with the private sector, ranking 16th among all public universities and 6th among public universities without medical schools in business and industry-sponsored research expenditures. NC State is also a leading university in state and local research expenditures; we rank 6th among all universities and 2nd among public universities without medical schools.

NC State continues to excel in research innovation and commercialization. According to the most recent AUTM report, NC State ranks in the top 10 nationally in all key metrics. Our Research Commercialization ranks 2nd in active commercialization agreements and new products released among universities without medical schools. In FY25, NC State innovators and inventors submitted 211 disclosures, negotiated 214 commercialization agreements, and launched 14 startups from NC State intellectual property.