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The University of California, Davis received slightly less research funding in 2025-2026 compared to the previous year, according to data released by the school Tuesday. While research awards from federal sources and industry partners increased, state funding was cut in half.
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In total, UC Davis received $953 million in external research awards in 2025-2026, with more than half that amount coming from federal sources. This funding supported research in varied fields including healthcare, food supply, energy solutions and education.
“UC Davis researchers continue to attract substantial investments based on deep expertise, unique collaborations and a long history of delivering impactful insight and solutions,” said Vice Chancellor Simon Atkinson in a statement. “Despite significant funding uncertainty and regulatory change, our faculty and staff have drawn on their passion and ingenuity to keep their important — often life-changing — work moving forward.”
Under President Donald Trump’s administration, funding for research across the country has been precarious. The administration’s 2026 budget proposal included substantial cuts to scientific agencies like the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Although Congress rejected those budget cuts, several thousand grants were canceled or suspended, including for not aligning with the government’s priorities. Together, these moves have created an unpredictable funding atmosphere for research, which often takes years and needs stability.
For UC Davis, external research funding has fallen from more than $1 billion in 2024 to $961 million in 2025 and $953 million in 2026. Federal funding — which is the largest pot of money — has remained relatively stable for the school over this period, despite the uncertainty at the national level. In the last year, federal funding actually grew by 10% for UC Davis while the total federal research funding level remained relatively flat.
State funding, on the other hand, saw a big drop from $209 million to $105 million this year. According to a UC Davis spokesperson, this decrease is partly because some agencies allocate multi-year awards as one lump sum in a year instead of providing incremental funding on an annual basis. State agencies that awarded UC Davis research funding include the departments of public health, water resources and transportation.
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This decrease in state funds was compensated for in 2026 by an additional $53 million in research awards from industry partners.
What does this money fund?
The top recipient of external research awards for 2026 was the UC Davis School of Medicine at $439 million. This marks a record high for the school. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences received $134 million and the College of Biological Sciences got $77 million.
UC Davis researchers are using this funding to reduce disease, respond to environmental decline and adapt to the world of artificial intelligence. A project at the engineering college is developing the world’s first standardized method for measuring the neurotoxicity of airborne nanoplastics. Researchers at the agricultural college are investigating the cardiovascular benefits of healthy body weight in individuals at risk for metabolic disease. A team at the School of Education is launching a project to prepare new STEM teachers to use AI in the classroom.
Over time, research at UC Davis has resulted in several innovations that have gone on to enter the market. Last year, the university submitted nearly 200 patents and other intellectual property filings, according to its annual research impact report.
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