Announced on Feb. 13, the University of Idaho has officially reached Carnegie R1 research institution status. UI is the first research institution in the state of Idaho to reach this milestone, as it has joined less than 4% of higher-education institutions in the country in the “very high research activity” category.
To meet this classification, universities must meet two major requirements. They must have at least $50 million in annual research expenditures and bestow a minimum of 70 research doctorates annually. UI announced that the university more than doubled the required research expenditures, totaling $135.9 million in Fiscal Year 2023, and 80 research doctorates awarded.
In addition to UI’s new R1 status, the university also houses an astounding number of acclaimed scientific professionals, as discussed in UI’s official news release. Fifty-four UI scientists are recognized in the Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List, a number which surpasses all other Idaho research institutions combined with the Idaho National Laboratory.
“Research is in the university’s DNA,” Chris Nomura, UI’s Vice President for Research and Economic Development said. “Achieving R1 Carnegie Classification has been a long-term goal for U of I and this is demonstrative of our strong research programs.”
Nomura continued, “As we proceed to expand our research program here at U of I, it means we will be more competitive in attracting the best and brightest students and faculty to our institution. These folks in turn will allow us to better compete for funding to expand our research impacts.”
On the topic of recent research funding cuts proposed by the Trump administration, Nomura said, “The current federal policy changes would be extremely damaging to carry out impactful research not only at University of Idaho, but also at universities across the entire country.”
These cuts, which would slash nearly $4 billion in overhead research costs nationwide, were announced by the National Institutes of Health on Feb. 7 and received immediate pushback and a temporary restraining order from Federal Judge Angel Kelley.
“The meaningful research impacts that directly affect the Idaho economy [include] new varieties of potatoes and wheat developed by our scientists, work in preserving rich soil for agriculture, development and training of cybersecurity workforce to keep our infrastructure safe and medical discovery and training to assure human health. [These] could all be set back if these cuts are carried out to completion. It will also directly affect our ability to have students participating in research programs.”
Julia Kolman can be reached at [email protected].