Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 | 2 a.m.
UNLV retained its Research 1 Carnegie designation as one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities.
The status is significant because it reinforces the university’s reputation as a research powerhouse and hub for innovation, UNLV President Keith Whitfield said in a statement late last week.
UNLV is one of 187 universities nationwide with the Research 1 classification. It first received the status in 2018 and had it renewed three years later.
“Our faculty and students are engaged in groundbreaking research every day that tackles some of the world’s biggest challenges — from chronic disease and brain health to sustainable energy, artificial intelligence and much more,” he said. “We are determined to find solutions that improve lives and create a lasting impact.”
The Carnegie classification was developed in 1973 by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education to recognize institutions for functions such as their research activity. Classification criteria are based on federally reported research spending and doctoral degree productivity.
UNLV and UNR are recognized as Research 1, commonly known as R1, institutions within the Carnegie classification based on their “very high” research spending and doctorate production. The universities must spend more than $50 million in research and award over 70 research doctorates annually.
For fiscal year 2023, UNLV reported $98,751,000 in total research expenditures, the university said. UNLV also exceeded the benchmark for research doctorates by 244% above the threshold, awarding 250 research doctorates during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Whitfield has repeatedly expressed his desires to grow UNLV as a research institution and bring more opportunities to campus.
Over the next five years, UNLV wants to reach $250 million in research expenditures and is already moving toward that, the university said. Sponsored program expenditures in fiscal year 2024 were up 15% to $116.4 million.
“Year after year, our researchers are making a real impact, both here in Nevada and around the world,” Chris Heavey, UNLV executive vice president and provost, said in a statement. “This latest R1 designation is a testament to their continued hard work and dedication. As we build on this momentum, our priority is to ensure they have the resources, collaboration opportunities and institutional support needed to take their research even further.”
The university has made itself a key player in scientific research locally and among neighboring states.
UNLV participates in the Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine, a multistate initiative funded by the National Science Foundation that focuses on carbon capture, water security and renewable energy.
In health-related matters, UNLV researchers are studying new treatments for heart attack and the effect of radiation exposure on breast cancer through million-dollar grants from agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy. The university is also making advancements in areas like brain health and Alzheimer’s, clinical trials research and studies on nuclear energy and isotopes.
UNLV is also developing a comprehensive Academic Health Center, which Whitfield spoke briefly about in his State of the University address last month. This center is intended to integrate clinical care, interdisciplinary research, education and community engagement from the school’s health sciences and related disciplines, which the university says will “transform health care in Southern Nevada,” he said.
Roseman University of Health Sciences also said Thursday that it had been designated a Research College and University by the Carnegie Classification, making it the third university in Nevada to receive a Carnegie research classification.
Roseman University, a private nonprofit institution in Henderson, was given the Research Colleges and Universities designation, a new category created this year. This new category “identifies research happening at colleges and universities that historically have not been recognized for their research activity,” the American Council on Education said.