Research and innovation at ASU

The challenges that humanity faces — from health care to cybersecurity to affordable energy — are complex and interconnected. Solving these challenges demands the creativity and commitment of many minds from many fields. Arizona State University connects those minds in an ecosystem where creative ideas thrive. We believe a research university is a knowledge enterprise — our business is creating and sharing new knowledge to provide value to our communities. This belief fuels everything we do.

Academic silos no longer serve. At ASU, we have reshaped the very structure of the university, centering our academic units and research institutes around grand challenges. We have woven an entrepreneurial mindset into the fabric of our institution, empowering our students, faculty and staff to test and launch their innovative ideas. We build the right teams to accomplish our goals, regardless of disciplinary or organizational boundaries. Together with our partners from industry, nonprofits, government and academia, we have undertaken an audacious mission — assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities we serve.

ASU is one of the fastest-growing research enterprises in the United States, more than doubling its research expenditures over the last ten years. The university continually climbs in rankings from the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey, which measures research expenditures across disciplines and funding sources. ASU currently ranks No. 5 in the U.S. for total research expenditures among institutions without a medical school. Additionally, ASU is a leader in bringing innovations to market, ranking No. 9 among universities worldwide for U.S. patents issued.