National Science Foundation WebCASPAR

Summary:

The NSF’s Integrated Science and Engineering Resources Data System includes databases of federal spending on and by colleges and universities. The Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges is the one most often used or cited to quantify and analyze the volume of research activity at colleges, since it provides an annual measure of spending funded out of federal resources.

The site includes interactive data that allows users to build tables comp aring institutions or looking at trends over time in overall research or research in a specific discipline. It includes social science research support but not federal support for other college and university research and service activities  (e.g. education research, agricultural extension, etc.), so the total amounts are generally less than what institutions report in federal support in IPEDS.

Overview link:

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/webcaspar/index.jsp?subHeader=WebCASPARHome

Interactive tool:

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/webcaspar/TableBuilder

Best for:

Trends and comparisons at institution, sector, or state level in federally funded science and engineering.

Not as good for:

Non-science related federal support to institutions.