Indiana University Indianapolis has cemented its status as one of the nation’s premier urban research universities after receiving Research 1 status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, making it Indy’s only R1 institution. This designation is reserved for doctoral-granting universities with the highest research activity.
“Our ambitions for IU Indianapolis and our capital city are limitless, and achieving R1 status is the latest indicator that we’re reshaping Indianapolis into a city of bold ideas and innovative solutions,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “We are building on decades of innovative research and making significant investments, including the development of the SciTech Corridor and the launch of two new biosciences institutes, to expand our impact here in Indiana and around the world. This new designation affirms IU Indianapolis’ place as a leading research university.”
With both its Indianapolis and Bloomington campuses classified as R1, IU is now among a select group of universities nationwide to have multiple R1 campuses.
An R1 designation is presented to universities with $50 million in research and development expenditures that award at least 70 doctoral degrees in any field in a year. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education awarded the current classifications based on data from the past three years, when IU Indianapolis was still IUPUI. In fiscal year 2023, the most recent year reviewed, IU’s Indianapolis campus had research expenditures exceeding $76.8 million and awarded 88 doctoral degrees.
Being named an R1 institution can strengthen a university’s ability to recruit top-tier faculty and students to the campus and can help attract more research funding.
“IU Indianapolis is an academic and economic anchor for our city, state and region,” said Latha Ramchand, chancellor of IU Indianapolis and executive vice president of IU. “Our faculty and students are improving lives through research — whether by creating a tool for less invasive prostate cancer screenings, developing treatments for health challenges like hydrocephalus, or exploring how cultural environments shape our cities and communities. This R1 designation will increase our ability to invest in research that spurs innovations and transforms lives.”
Strategically located in the heart of Indiana’s capital city, IU Indianapolis is transforming the local and state economy with its continued commitment to innovation and discovery. New bioscience institutes will drive transformative research in the areas of health, medicine, life sciences and technology. The IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences, a first-of-its-kind academic-industry initiative to be located at the 16 Tech Innovation District, will accelerate bioscience innovation.
In the Luddy Artificial Intelligence Center, researchers are advancing the science of artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems in many industries. And researchers in the humanities are using innovative methods to redefine how we experience art, including developing an AI opera and transforming mushrooms’ root-like mycelium into sustainable acoustic treatments.
