UH Mānoa sustains top-tier R&D rankings

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa continues to solidify its status as a leading research institution, ranking No. 92 among the top 660 research universities in the US and No. 68 among the top 420 public universities.

This is according to the latest National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development survey, which measures research and development (R&D) expenditures across various disciplines and serves as the primary source for R&D data in US higher education.

Top-performing disciplines

UH Mānoa demonstrated research excellence across a range of critical fields, with several disciplines maintaining their place in the top 10% nationally for fiscal year (FY) 2023:

• Ocean sciences and marine sciences: No. 7 out of 414 (top 2%)
• Astronomy and astrophysics: No. 15 out of 517 (top 3%)
• Geological and earth sciences: No. 13 out of 414 (top 3%)
• Computer and information sciences: No. 39 out of 500 (top 8%)
• Communication and communications technologies: No. 37 out of 474 (top 8%, ranked in top 10% for the first time)
• Atmospheric science and meteorology: No. 41 out of 414 (top 10%)

UH Mānoa also excelled in agricultural sciences (No. 40 out of 343, top 12%) and electrical, electronic, and communications engineering (No. 49 out of 403, top 12%).

“Our continued presence among the nation’s top research universities reaffirms the strength and consistency of our research programs at UH Mānoa,” said Interim Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship Christopher Sabine in a news release. “These rankings are a testament to our faculty and researchers and proof of our commitment to innovative research and scholarship to address challenges here in Hawaiʻi and beyond.”

Examples of UH Mānoa projects that attracted significant funding, include:

• The Hawaiʻi Ocean Time-series established in 1988 that studies climate and environmental changes in the North Pacific. After nearly 350 expeditions to the exact same location north of Hawaiʻi dubbed station ALOHA, the 35-year time-series record is still going strong. 
• A UH telescope on Maunakea that will support NASA’s $19.5 million Landolt Space Mission by helping calibrate telescopes with an artificial “star” satellite and creating new star brightness catalogs.
• Earth scientists studying the chemical evolution of the Hawaiian hotspot and Kīlauea’s volcanic cycles, revealing the submarine Hawaiian volcano Kamaʻehuakanaloa has erupted at least five times in the last 150 years.

UH Mānoa received a record $464.9 million in extramural awards in fiscal year 2023-2024, leading the way in the UH 10-campus system’s record-breaking $615.7 million that fiscal year, surpassing the previous year’s record by $99.8 million.

Extramural funding, which comes from external sources, mainly the federal government, supports research and training initiatives by university faculty and staff. This marks the third consecutive year UH has exceeded half a billion dollars in funding.

The HERD survey revealed an 11.2% increase in national academic R&D spending in FY 2023, the largest growth rate in two decades. Total U.S. academic R&D expenditures reached $108.8 billion, a $11.0 billion increase from FY 2022.

“UH Mānoa’s performance aligns with this upward trend, further emphasizing its role as a key contributor to the national research landscape,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno.