University of Florida faculty conducted a record-breaking $1.33 billion in research during fiscal year 2025, breaking last year’s mark of $1.26 billion.

According to a UF release sent Tuesday, UF faculty research projects included supporting Florida’s farmers, advancing new medical treatments and helping to grow statewide industries, such as aerospace and semiconductors.

“This new record sends an unmistakable signal that the University of Florida’s research enterprise is a rock-solid powerhouse, and the important work our researchers are doing is absolutely vital to the great state of Florida, the nation and the world,” said Mori Hosseini, UF Board of Trustees chair, in the release. “We are grateful to our Congressional delegation for their strong support, and we are eager to keep contributing to Florida’s unmatchable economic success.”

Total research expenditures increased around 4.5%, or $57.3 million, over FY 2024. Spending on federally funded projects awarded over the last few years was up 5.4% to $612.4 million and spending on state-sponsored projects was up 14.5%, or $29.4 million, to $231.9 million. Industry-funded research was up 11.8% to $41.5 million, and projects supported by non-profits were up 10% to $60 million.

“Our faculty researchers are remarkable,” said Interim UF President Kent Fuchs in the release. “The research they are pursuing continues to yield discoveries and insights that are making a difference in fields as diverse as medicine, agriculture, engineering and the basic sciences.”

It marks the fourth straight year that UF has eclipsed $1 billion in research spending after hitting $1.25 billion in FY2023 and surpassing the $1 billion mark for the first time in FY2022.

“We continue to closely follow the discussions in Washington regarding proposed changes in federal funding for research,” said Vice President for Research David Norton, in the release, “but with the remarkable support we receive from the state of Florida, I am confident that UF researchers will remain competitive in securing research funding that will position us to succeed under any funding model.”

The data on research spending is compiled from UF’s response to the National Science Foundation’s annual Higher Education Research and Development, or HERD, Survey– the national standard in comparing research spending across universities throughout the country. The numbers reflect spending for the fiscal year ending on June 30. In the recently finalized HERD report, based on FY2023 data, UF ranked 15th among public universities and 25th overall.

Public and private agencies typically award multi-year funding to the university based on competitive proposals submitted by researchers. That funding translates into annual spending, or expenditures, on salaries, construction, equipment and supplies, and other expenses over the life of the award.

Awards reached a record $1.25 billion in 2025, including $818 million from the federal government, $102 million from the state of Florida, and $140 million from philanthropic organizations.

“Expenditures reflect how our scientists have judiciously used funding they received in previous years to make new discoveries,” Norton said, “while awards reflect opportunities to continue important research into the future.”

Significant UF projects currently underway in 2025 include:

• UF Cancer Center researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health are developing artificial intelligence algorithms that are transforming medical image analysis, helping to improve diagnostic accuracy and lower health care costs for conditions like prostate cancer.
• Neuroscience researchers also funded by NIH have identified a previously unknown genetic mutation that causes a buildup of harmful proteins found in the brains of many Alzheimer’s patients, increasing the risk of developing the disease.
• The Florida Semiconductor Institute, created by the Florida Legislature to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry by strengthening domestic chip production and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers, received funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce to use advanced computer simulations — known as digital twins — to improve how computer chips are designed and manufactured.
• A team of engineering faculty and students funded by NASA is testing advanced aluminum and stainless-steel coating materials designed to solve one of the most pressing technical challenges in deep space exploration: preventing the boil-off of cryogenic rocket fuels during long missions.
• Researchers from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, UF/IFAS, are testing a genetically modified citrus tree that can fight off the tiny insects responsible for citrus greening, which has caused citrus production to plummet over the past two decades. The approach — funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state and the citrus industry — involves inserting a gene into a citrus tree that produces a protein that can kill baby Asian citrus psyllids, the bugs that transmit the greening disease.

UF also set a record for the number of invention disclosures faculty submitted for discoveries that have commercialization potential. UF registered 446 technology disclosures in FY2025, up from the 369 disclosures reported in FY2024. UF also exceeded last year’s numbers for licenses executed, patent applications and material transfer agreements.

“Everything we do starts with invention disclosures. They are the raw material for potential licenses and startups,” said Jim O’Connell, assistant vice president of commercialization, in the release.

“The UF technology transfer enterprise is a key contributor to the institution’s economic value to the state,” said Norton. “Since UF established its first startup incubator in 1995, the economic impact of our commercialization enterprise has exceeded $25 billion. These efforts build new companies and industries that are key to Florida’s economic security in the future.”