Upstate Medical University has been officially designated a Carnegie R2 (Research 2) institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education (ACE), a distinction that recognizes the university’s significant research achievements and trajectory.

The 2025 Research Activity Designations mark a major milestone for Upstate, placing it among 139 institutions nationwide recognized as “High Research Activity” universities. The new R2 designation reflects more than $53 million in research expenditures during fiscal year 2023 and the awarding of 22 research doctorates in the 2022–2023 academic year.

The Carnegie Foundation updated how they classify research institutions in 2025, in an effort to “make the Carnegie Classifications more reflective of the wide range of higher education institutions across America and how well they serve their students,” according to the organization.

“This designation underscores the incredible momentum we've built,” said Dave Amberg, PhD, vice president for research at Upstate. “Upstate Medical University has been on a fantastic research growth trajectory for the last several years, leading to a more than doubling of our research expenditures. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the efforts of our highly accomplished research faculty and the support they receive from my staff in Research Administration.”

In the last year alone, Upstate researchers have:

• Participated in a groundbreaking pediatric cancer trial
• Learned more about how glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, develops
• Embarked on projects to learn more about difficult-to-treat brain tumors
• Created new tools to study actin, the most abundant protein in the body
• Helped develop AI systems to shed light on how Alzheimer’s disease develops

The R2 classification highlights institutions with high research spending and doctorate production, placing Upstate within a national community of universities contributing cutting-edge scholarship and innovation. It is especially significant for academic medical centers like Upstate, where research directly informs advances in patient care, education, and community health.

Shadi Sandvik, SUNY senior vice chancellor for research, innovation & economic development, praised the university’s achievement in a broader context of excellence across the SUNY system.

“At SUNY, we are proud of our extraordinary researchers and the life-changing, groundbreaking discoveries they have dedicated their careers to advancing,” says Sandvik. “SUNY research is essential to our national security and economic leadership.”

Upstate continued its growth through 2024. Some highlights include:

• A record $54.8mil in total research expenditures; a 23 percent increase over the past fiscal year
• A $4.8mil growth in clinical trials expenditures over the past 5 years
• Creation of the Upstate Biotech Ventures Fund; a $10mil fund to invest in CNY startups to drive research and technology innovation

Learn more about the 2025 Carnegie designations here.