Arizona’s state universities are key to creating long-term economic growth through research & development.

• Arizona’s three public universities combined spent more than $1.1 billion on R&D activities in 2014-2015, an increase of 10 percent since 2011, and conducted more than $5.2 billion worth of research during that 5-year period.
• In the 2015-2016 academic year, the University of Arizona spent $606 million and was the 34th largest research university in the US.
• In the 2015-2016 academic year, Arizona State University spent $458 million and was the 48th largest research university in the US.
• ASU’s research expenditures have doubled over the last decade, making it one of the fastest growing research enterprises in the US and among the largest research universities among those that do not have a medical school.

Growth in the R&D industry requires a qualified and well-prepared workforce. Arizona’s universities had more than 3,000 engineering majors in 2015.

Arizona’s private sector is the primary driver behind new products and innovative enhancements to existing products.

• Private business and industrial R&D expenditures in Arizona exceeded $5.2 billion based on the most recent data.
• High-tech companies like Intel are investing in the future by developing ecosystems designed to increase productivity and innovation. Intel alone expends more than $500 million on R&D at its Chandler, Ariz. facilities each year.
• Intel will invest more than $7 billion to complete the most advanced semiconductor factory in the world in Chandler. Fab 42, as the factory is known, will create 3,000 direct high-tech and high wage jobs. 
• Over $10 million in tax credits are available each year to businesses that partner with Arizona universities on research and development projects through the enhanced the state’s University R&D Tax Credit Program.

Research & development plays a critical role in the innovation process, and Arizona’s manufacturers are at the forefront of the knowledge growth movement.

• The semiconductor industry is one of the most R&D-intensive industries, and Arizona is home to one of the largest clusters of semiconductor manufacturing in the country.
• Companies like Intel rely on R&D to generate knowledge and new technologies to stay ahead of their competition. In fact, Intel alone was responsible for approximately 23 percent of all semiconductor R&D expenditures around the globe.
• R&D investment creates opportunities for businesses including: proven sales growth, competitive advantage, innovation, furthering the mission of the organization, tax credits.