LANSING, Mich. – Research Universities for Michigan (RU4M), an alliance of Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, today released a new series of analyses from the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS) that highlight the significant economic impact and employment opportunities resulting from research conducted by MSU, U-M and WSU, as well as their contributions to various sectors and communities within the state and across the nation.
In 2024, RU4M universities employed over 29,000 people on federal and non-federal research grants — 46% of these individuals were students and 17% were faculty. The majority of those employed — 26,028 people — were working on federally funded research grants.
RU4M universities’ federal and non-federal research generated over $281 million in spending on research-related goods and services in Michigan during 2024. Purchases from contractors in Washtenaw County exceeded $114.4 million, making it the top-ranking county in the state.
In the past five years, RU4M universities purchased research-related goods and services from vendors in all Michigan congressional districts, state senate districts, and state house districts.
Note: These reports include data from MSU, U-M and WSU. IRIS does not have data for MTU yet, but once they do, it will be included in the RU4M aggregation going forward.
