R&D Funding:
Foreign Sponsorship of U.S. University Research
RCED-88-89BR: Published: Mar 4, 1988. Publicly Released: Mar 25, 1988.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on foreign firms' and governments' sponsorship of research and development (R&D) activities at U.S. universities.
GAO found that: (1) foreign funding accounted for $74.3 million, or 1 percent, of the $6.8 billion in total university R&D expenditures; (2) foreign firms accounted for about one-third of that percentage; (3) of the 134 universities reviewed, 107 reported receiving some foreign funds for R&D, with 5 receiving 51 percent of the funds; (4) Japan, the United Kingdom, and West Germany contributed 9.5, 7.0, and 5.6 percent of foreign R&D funds, respectively; and (5) foreign R&D funds were widely distributed across research fields, with geology, agriculture, and medicine R&D receiving the most funds. GAO also found that universities receiving foreign R&D funds generally: (1) did not distinguish between U.S. and foreign companies in accepting or administering R&D funds; and (2) lacked programs to elicit foreign R&D support.
Feb 24, 2021
-
Science & Tech Spotlight:
Vaccine SafetyGAO-21-342SP: Published: Feb 24, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 24, 2021.
Feb 18, 2021
-
Technology Assessment Design HandbookGAO-21-347G: Published: Feb 18, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 18, 2021.
Feb 3, 2021
-
Federal Research Grants:
OMB Should Take Steps to Establish the Research Policy BoardGAO-21-232R: Published: Feb 3, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 3, 2021.
Feb 1, 2021
-
Department of Energy:
Improved Performance Planning Could Strengthen Technology TransferGAO-21-202: Published: Feb 1, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 1, 2021.
Jan 29, 2021
-
Small Business Innovation Research:
Three Agencies Made Awards to Businesses Majority-Owned by Investment Companies and FundsGAO-21-223R: Published: Jan 29, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 29, 2021.
Dec 21, 2020
-
Science & Tech Spotlight:
Tracing the Source of Chemical WeaponsGAO-21-271SP: Published: Dec 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 21, 2020.
Dec 17, 2020
-
Federal Research:
Agencies Need to Enhance Policies to Address Foreign InfluenceGAO-21-130: Published: Dec 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 17, 2020.
Dec 7, 2020
-
Science & Tech Spotlight:
Air Quality SensorsGAO-21-189SP: Published: Dec 7, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 7, 2020.
Nov 30, 2020
-
Artificial Intelligence in Health Care:
Benefits and Challenges of Technologies to Augment Patient CareGAO-21-7SP: Published: Nov 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2020.
Nov 20, 2020
-
Biomedical Research:
NIH Should Publicly Report More Information about the Licensing of Its Intellectual PropertyGAO-21-52: Published: Oct 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here