Research activity across LSU’s eight campuses totaled a record $488 million in 2023—a 14% increase from the previous record set in 2022.
According to a statement from LSU, research activity is measured through expenditures as spending across projects provides the “most reliable data point to indicate success in research.” While the monies spent come primarily from contracts and grants, expenditures are considered the better measurement of operational capacity and sustained effort.
“Large awards for big projects, sometimes lasting several years, would otherwise appear as wins only when first announced,” LSU’s statement reads. “Expenditures, meanwhile, show how those wins translate into continuous investment with broad economic impacts for the state. LSU’s 2023 research activity added $1.3 billion [in economic impact] for Louisiana.”
The research activity that drove LSU’s “historic” year spans the fields of agriculture, biomedicine, coastal resilience, defense and energy.
“Winning in research relies on talented faculty and facilities that attract federal funding to Louisiana and enable LSU to recruit exceptional students and make discoveries that improve the lives of everyone in our state,” says Robert Twilley, vice president of research and economic development at LSU.
It is worth noting that recent research wins like the $160 million National Science Foundation grant that was awarded to a statewide team led by LSU in January will not begin showing up in the university’s expenditures until “around 2025.” That grant—the largest ever awarded by the NSF—will focus primarily on Louisiana’s energy transition and the decarbonization of the state’s industrial corridor.
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