Federal Funding:

For every $100M, URI generated an additional $80M in economic activity.

For every 10 people directly employed by federal funding at URI, an additional 4 were hired elsewhere in the economy.

URI’s research enterprise is a powerful driver of long-term economic growth and competitiveness in Rhode Island. A separate economic impact study found that in FY25, URI’s total research activity—not limited to federal funding—generated $520.4 million annually. This includes $205.9 million in direct spending and $314.5 million in indirect and induced effects. Together, these figures underscore URI’s vital role in advancing the state’s innovation ecosystem.

Quick Facts

47% of URI students are from in-state.

Only 13% of students are from in-state at the average New England private college.

42% of URI graduates were working in the state 5 years post-graduation.

Only 17% of graduates from the average New England private school remain in-state 5 years later.

RI-INBRE

(The Rhode Island IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence)

$21 MILLION GRANT
In current funding from the National Institutes of Health to support biomedical research and training in Rhode Island.

Quantum Information Science Careers

• URI selected by the National Science Foundation for the new program in Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies, (ExLENT) that will support hands-on learning and workforce development at URI.
• Launched one of the country’s first masters in quantum computing in 2021.
• Partnered with IBM to grow quantum computing research.

Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute

A NOAA-funded research project exploring, mapping and characterizing our ocean territory with six years of research, five partner institutions, 96 expeditions, 354 ROV dives, 29 university students supported, and 72,820 K-12 students reached.

Developed new technologies that can obtain preserved tissue and high-resolution 3D images within minutes of encountering fragile animals in the deep ocean.