Research Productivity and Distinction

Rutgers’ research and development expenditures rose by more than $200 million in five years to stand at $736.8 million in 2019, with the integration of the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey accounting for a substantial part of this increase. As of 2019, Rutgers University–New Brunswick ranked among the nation’s top 20 public universities in research spending.

Two national awards underscored the growing strength of Rutgers research:  

• In 2018, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey earned redesignation by the National Cancer Institute as New Jersey’s only comprehensive cancer center—a competitively awarded distinction held by only 49 centers across the nation.
• In 2019, a Rutgers-led consortium of New Jersey research universities secured the Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health—a highly competitive $29 million grant focused on shortening the time between basic science breakthroughs and life-saving clinical treatments.