BOZEMAN - Montana State University has set a new record, surpassing $300 million in annual research expenditures for the first time in the institution's history.
MSU's research expenditures during the 2025-26 fiscal year totaled $308.7 million, according to the university's annual report to the National Science Foundation. MSU is the first and only institution in the state to surpass the $300 million mark, and its research enterprise is larger than all other public and private universities in the state combined. The total represents an increase of roughly 7% over the previous year's total of $288.7 million.
"MSU is a true talent engine for Montana and the nation," MSU President Brock Tessman said. "The research we do here not only directly benefits the people and communities of Montana but also gives our students hands-on learning opportunities that lead them into careers after graduation."
The record expenditures supported 1,348 students during the last fiscal year. During the 2025-26 year, MSU faculty and researchers submitted 806 funding proposals — an increase of 10% over the previous year — and 455 new awards were funded totaling $136.6 million. Nearly $14.2 million of the new total expenditures supported research by 623 graduate students and 725 undergraduate students, many of the latter through the Undergraduate Scholars Program.
More than 450 MSU faculty served as principal investigators or co-principal investigators on funded research.
"At a time of significant uncertainty in the federal funding landscape, our faculty, students and staff continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and perseverance," MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Alison Harmon said. "I am incredibly proud of their success and of the meaningful contributions they are making to science and economic development for Montana."
Competitively awarded funds from federal agencies accounted for 91.3% of MSU's research expenditures, including the departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture, as well as the National Science Foundation and NASA. Other funding came from private sources and the state.
Leading research units included the College of Agriculture, College of Letters and Science, the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, the Institute for National Security Research and Education, the Western Transportation Institute, Montana INBRE and Spectrum Lab.
