Boston University participates annually in the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research & Development (HERD) Survey, the primary source of comprehensive national information on universities and colleges research expenditures.

What Is the HERD Survey?

The NSF HERD Survey is an annual census of U.S. colleges and universities that expend at least $150,000 in separately accounted-for research and development (R&D). It captures:

- R&D expenditures by source of funds

- R&D expenditures by field of research

- Type of research activity (basic, applied, development)

- Institutional investment in research infrastructure

Why the HERD Survey matters?

HERD data are used for federal policy analysis, national benchmarking, public datasets, and research rankings. Accurate reporting ensures BU is represented fairly among its peer research institutions.

Who submits the HERD Survey for the University?

The Office of Financial Affairs is responsible for coordinating the submission of the NSF HERD Survey data for all grant, institutional, and gift-funded R&D.  A draft submission is prepared by Financial Affairs based on system data and departmental reports and reviewed in collaboration with the Office of Research before the submission due at the end of January.