
Research & Discovery
KU is committed to conducting broad and impactful research that addresses the key challenges faced by the state, nation and world.
Objectives

Grow KU Research

Recruit, Retain and Recognize Top Researchers

Expand the Impact of KU Research in Kansas and Beyond

Promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Metrics
Total research expenditures
Expenditures in the Total R&D category are the sum of all expenditures in Federal R&D, including USDA, state and local government, business, non-profit organizations, institutional funding, and other nonfederal sources.
Federal R&D expenditure
Federal research grants are awarded through a competitive peer-review process by subject matter experts. KU and other institutions of higher education use the sum of Federal Research & Development Expenditures as an indication of the quality and strength of their researchers. Federal R&D expenditures cut across all academic disciplines and across all federal agencies. USDA Expenditures, however, are included in Total R&D.
Recognition of faculty excellence
Endowed professorships
Endowed professorships are one of the highest recognitions for scholars who have positively impacted their field of inquiry through exceptionally productive records of scholarship and teaching. Endowed professorships are made possible through the generosity of donors and help KU recruit, retain and recognize top researchers by publicly acknowledging and supporting continued excellence. As a metric, endowed professorships indicate the number of researchers working at the highest level.
NRC Prestigious+ Faculty Honors and Awards
The National Research Council maintains a list of faculty awards considered “prestigious” and “highly prestigious.” These awards are important components of institutional reputation. Used as a metric, these awards reflect excellence in KU research and scholarship that helps recruit and retain top researchers. It also indicates the university’s commitment to provide support through nominating faculty at various stages of their careers for appropriate external awards.
This data is only available to those with a KU online ID.
Scholarly Activity
Citation Count
When research is cited by others in scholarly work, this demonstrates that published research is being consumed and is contributing to ongoing scholarship in a field with potential benefit to society. Citation counts are one of the few metrics that can easily assess the impact of scholarship globally and over a long period of time. Publication rates and citation numbers vary between disciplines, and citation counts can be interpreted within a disciplinary context.