The new Carnegie Classification for “Research Colleges and Universities” means that Harrisburg and Behrend generate at least $2.5 million in research and development expenditures from external and internal funding in an average year.
Penn State Behrend and Penn State Harrisburg have received the new Carnegie Classification for “Research Colleges and Universities” — a designation awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that recognizes institutions with at least $2.5 million in research and development expenditures from external and internal funding in an average year. The colleges — the only two Penn State Commonwealth Campuses to earn the classification — are among 216 institutions that have received this Carnegie Classification for 2025. Overall, Penn State retained its Research 1 (R1) standing, indicating the highest levels of research expenditures and doctorate production.
“We are honored by this distinction, which highlights Penn State Harrisburg’s growing impact in research and development,” said Chancellor and Dean David M. Callejo Pérez. “Research drives innovation, addresses real-world challenges and enhances the educational experience for our students. By engaging in research, undergraduates gain valuable skills and hands-on learning opportunities that prepare them for future careers. Our growth in research funding reflects our commitment to supporting faculty, students and partners in meaningful inquiry and discovery. These investments are strengthening our ability to make a lasting impact in our region and beyond.”
ACE and the Carnegie Foundation updated their methodology in 2023 to “better account for and reflect the multifaceted, wide-ranging research landscape of higher education institutions in America,” according to their press release. The new Research Colleges and Universities designation identifies research conducted at colleges and universities that historically have not been recognized for their research activity.
“Research opportunities are a pillar of Penn State Behrend’s ‘Open Lab’ approach to learning,” said Behrend Chancellor and Dean Ralph Ford. “Sponsored research projects leverage the expertise of our faculty, who refine and advance their skillsets as they work toward new solutions, and directly benefit our external partners, who gain access to student talent and the equipment and instrumentation in our research facilities.”
The student component can be even more valuable, Ford said.
“For students — particularly undergraduates — a research experience can be a differentiator,” he said. “In the lab or in the field, students more fully understand the nature of their work, and they see firsthand how they can make a difference.”
Penn State Behrend generates nearly $10 million in sponsored research every year. Highlights from 2024 include:
- $6.5 million from the commonwealth’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to begin construction of the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, an industry-facing research facility that will feature specialized plastics, metal-casting and manufacturing labs.
- $4.4 million from the Department of Defense and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation to develop metals-based manufacturing programs.
- $2.5 million in federal funding for a battery-testing rig that will be used to research thermal runaway — a chain-reaction that can occur when lithium-ion batteries overheat.
Over the past five years, external research expenditures at Penn State Harrisburg have grown by more than 200%. In fiscal year 2024 alone, the college’s externally funded research projects reached more than $7.4 million, an increase of 7.6% compared to fiscal year 2023. Recent research highlights include:
- $6.58 million from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs for opioid stigma reduction research.
- $1.89 million from the National Institutes of Health for research into skeletal muscle anabolic resistance in obesity.
- $616,000 from the NSF for a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to research marine sponge spicules use in human bone tissue engineering and other applications.
About the American Council on Education
ACE unites and leads higher education institutions toward a shared vision for the future. With more than 1,600 member colleges, universities, and associations, ACE designs solutions for today’s challenges and advances public policy to support a diverse and dynamic higher education sector. Learn more at www.acenet.edu.
About the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education.
Robb Frederick
Assistant director, news and information, Penn State Behrend
