Inside Higher Ed
October 21st, 2014
To many people at research universities, it may seem self-evident
that federal research and development support actually results in
scientific breakthroughs. A new paper released by the National Bureau of
Economic Research finds that the assumption is correct.
In the study (abstract available here),
four economists at the University of Kansas analyzed data from 147
research universities for the period 1990 to 2009. They focused on
chemistry (for which they include chemical engineering) as a field
present at research universities and one that involves both basic and
While the authors don’t express surprise that federal support makes a
difference, they stress the importance of science advocates knowing
that such investments pay off, not just assuming so.
The study examined the top departments in federal support, and going
to 147 means that it includes research powerhouses, but also plenty of
institutions that have modest R&D infrastructure.
Tracking the flow of research dollars in chemistry, the research
found that additional funds for chemistry research result in more
published papers and in more citations of those papers. In other words,
scientists can point to a “confirmation of a positive relationship
between research funding and knowledge production.”
The study also finds that chemistry professors became much more
productive during the time period studies, perhaps based on technology
advances in addition to the availability of funds.