::Correction Appended::

ASU research expenditures are ranked 19th in the country for universities without a medical school, according a recent report by the National Science Foundation.

In the 2007 fiscal year, ASU spent about $224 million in research — about double the amount from six years ago, said Stephen Goodnick, associate vice president for research.

“This is the highest ranking we’ve achieved in this category,” Goodnick said. “It’s a recognition of the quality of the faculty.”

Johns Hopkins University ranked No. 1 for research expenditures among colleges with a medical school, with about $1.5 billion spent on science and engineering in the fiscal year 2007.

For the category of universities without a medical school, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked No. 1 with $614 million.

Nationwide, federal funding for science and engineering research and development did not keep up with inflation, according to the August report.

Federal funding for research and development expenditures increased 1.1 percent in the 2007 fiscal year to $30.4 billion, but when adjusted for inflation, the funding actually declined 1.6 percent from 2006, the report said.

The federal government contributes more than 60 percent of total research and development expenditures nationally, according to the report.

Goodnick, who is also the director of ASU’s Arizona Institute for Nano-Electronics, said there has been an increased emphasis on research funding at ASU for more than a decade.

“The president [Michael Crow] has high expectations for the university in terms of research growth,” he said.

According to the fiscal year 2007 report from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs, the University’s goal is to increase research expenditures by 15 percent each year.

Mechanical engineering sophomore Emma Blass, who works for a math research grant at ASU that is looking to improve math education in high schools and other grade levels, said research gives ASU students better opportunities and boosts the University’s reputation.

“I know that not just in expenditures but in results we’re on the cutting edge,” Blass said.

Blass added that ASU’s standing in the academic community is improving as a result of its research endeavors.

“I think it’s … positive that we’re stepping up as a research university,” she said.

::A dollar amount was incorrectly reported. Johns Hopkins University spent about $1.5 billion on science and engineering in the fiscal year 2007::

Reach the reporter at matt.culbertson@asu.edu.