IRIS is… a consortium of research universities using big administrative data to understand, explain, and improve higher education and research.
Happening @ IRIS
2024 UMETRICS Research Dataset Release
IRIS is pleased to announce that our sixth data release is now available on the virtual data enclave. The 2024 UMETRICS Dataset includes information on research spending, vendor contracts and employees from more than 100 campuses across the country. It contains data on more than 580,000 sponsored research grants worth more than $192 billion, about $35 billion in payments to more than 1.2 million vendors of research-related goods and services, and wages to about 985,000 employees. Read more…
Webinar
On June 17, IRIS staff held a session to provide an overview of the newly released dataset. Joseph Staudt, economist from the U.S. Census Bureau, discussed the variety of Census data to which the IRIS UMETRICS dataset can be linked and shares how he and a colleague used UMETRICS data to study how delays in NIH grant funding affect the career outcomes of research personnel
IRIS member universities submit data to the institute and receive back reports focused on institutional research, governmental relations, and public communications.
IRIS produces interactive reports to illuminate the impact of universities’ research activities on the economy and career pathways of employees.
The IRIS dataset is a valuable asset for researchers in a variety of disciplines, capturing detailed data from nearly 400,000 awards representing more than 41% of U.S. total R & D spending at univerisities.
Data Contributors

News @ IRIS
From Campus to Career: New Report Highlights Job Outcomes of Research-Trained Employees
Individuals who were employed on research grants at IRIS member universities went on to meet the demand for skilled talent in critical...
IRIS in the news | The economic effects of federal cuts to US science — in 24 graphs
A new Nature article, “The economic effects of federal cuts to US science — in 24 graphs,” reveals how recent disruptions to science...
IRIS in the news | University research cuts would have huge impact on Michigan business, life
By Jason Owen-Smith and Britany Affolter-Caine May 2025Originally published on Crain's Detroit Business Congress is considering a new...
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