These tables present the results of the FYs 2014–15 Survey of State Government Research and Development, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Census Bureau employed a methodology similar to that used to collect data from state and local governments on other censuses and surveys.
The survey was distributed to departments, agencies, commissions, public authorities, and other state-run entities within the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (state equivalents), which were considered likely to conduct or fund R&D activities. Respondents that did not have qualifying R&D activity were not required to complete the questionnaire beyond a screening question. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico participated in the survey. The survey was distributed to 643 agencies across all 52 state or state equivalents, 618 of which responded [1]. Of the 618 agencies that responded, 375 reported conducting or funding R&D in FY 2014 or FY 2015. Respondents were requested to provide statistics on their total R&D expenditures and amounts for intramural and extramural performers; the amount of intramural R&D devoted to basic research, applied research, and experimental development activities by federal and nonfederal funds; the amount for which the federal government was an original source of funds for both intramural and extramural R&D and from which federal agency the funding came; and the amount of money allocated to particular government functions. An additional question was asked about the amount of expenditures for the construction and acquisition of R&D facilities and major equipment.
[1] The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are referred to as states and treated as state equivalents throughout this report.