Clemson University has been named South Carolina’s most active research institution by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The designation follows the release of the NSF’s latest Higher Education Research and Development Survey, which shows Clemson led all of the state's universities with $339 million in research and development expenditures in 2024 — the first time the university has claimed the top spot.
Clemson researchers are partnering with farmers, utilities, manufacturers, medical providers, K-12 schools, employers, state agencies and community organizations to strengthen South Carolina’s economy and improve quality of life through innovation and workforce development.
Recent projects include:
- A collaboration with Dominion Energy and TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company to power a new transformer device designed to prevent outages caused by fallen tree limbs and other disruptions.
- Research conducted with Prisma Health aimed at reducing hospital readmissions.
- Efforts that have helped more than 1,500 South Carolinians better manage diabetes.
- The development of new dry pea cultivars to create an additional winter revenue stream for farmers whose acreage is typically left fallow or planted with cover crops.
- Research supporting K-12 school districts as they adapt to the rise of artificial intelligence in classrooms.
Over the past five years, Clemson’s research enterprise has supported nearly 1,400 Ph.D. graduates and 9,000 master’s degree recipients, strengthening the state and regional workforce pipeline.
That same period also saw the university’s research generate 24 startup companies, 304 invention disclosures, 83 patents and 80 licenses and options, putting Clemson-driven innovation to work in the marketplace.