Students work on laptops and collaborate with each other in ASU's Luminosity Lab

Knowledge Enterprise

Research and innovation that matters to our communities.

Research with purpose. Research with results.


Driving discovery, innovation and solutions of public value

Knowledge Enterprise delivers direct benefits for the people of Arizona and all Americans through the power of discovery and innovation. ASU is one of the fastest growing research institutions in the U.S. and a leader in health care, advanced technology, national security, sustainability, space exploration and other critical areas. From detecting diseases faster to advancing next-generation microchips, our research makes a positive impact on individuals and our economy.

Research matters

Creating solutions that matter to you

There’s a reason research matters. It creates technologies, medicines and other answers to the biggest challenges we face. Learn more about tangible ways ASU research is making a difference in your life.

Explore

ASU-led Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine funds 8 promising tech...

ASU-led Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine funds 8 promising tech...

Mar 12, 2025 - Pete Zrioka

NSF Engines: Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine selected eight startups to receive Innovation Grants to support commercialization of...

ASU ranks No. 9 worldwide for US patents in 2024

ASU ranks No. 9 worldwide for US patents in 2024

Mar 11, 2025 - Michelle Stermole

Arizona State University remained in the top 10 universities worldwide for U.S. utility patents issued for the fourth time, and rose one...

Miki Kittilson appointed dean of ASU's College of Global Futures

Miki Kittilson appointed dean of ASU's College of Global Futures

Mar 5, 2025 - Matt Oxford

Miki Kittilson has been appointed dean of Arizona State University’s College of Global Futures, a unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global...

ResearchDiscoveryInnovationImpact
ResearchDiscoveryInnovationImpact

Our impact

Arizona State University is a global leader in interdisciplinary research, discovery and development. Our rapid growth and top rankings demonstrate our success at delivering new knowledge and solutions that support thriving people, a thriving planet and thriving societies.

Cover of the 2024 KE year in review brochure

2024 year in review

ASU researchers are harnessing DNA for data storage, helping rural residents manage dwindling groundwater supplies, accelerating local startups in the growing space industry, and establishing Arizona as a national hub for microelectronics research.

View 2024 highlights

$904 million


ASU has expanded its research enterprise more than sixfold in the past 20 years, reaching $904 million in research expenditures in FY 2023.

250+ companies


More than 250 companies have launched based on ASU innovations, attracting $1.4 billion in external funding.

#1 in innovation


For the tenth year in a row, U.S. News & World Report named ASU the most innovative school in the U.S. in its 2025 college rankings, ahead of MIT and Stanford.

Spotlight: Space

artist's rendering of an exoplanet silhouetted against a large, sun-like star

How do planets form?

Researchers from ASU and two other universities will use the James Webb Space Telescope to probe the atmospheres of seven planets beyond our solar system. In conjunction with JWST, this project, called the KRONOS program, will use computers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to create atmospheric models that could help us understand how planets form, evolve and possibly even harbor conditions favorable for life.

Interplanetary Lab student worker Ishi Shah holds the lab’s CubeSat model, a blue and grey cube with visible wires.

5 years of Interplanetary Lab

To celebrate its anniversary, the lab reflected on the student-powered, NASA-supported missions it successfully launched in the past five years. One such project, LightCube, is a small, standard-sized satellite that can be deployed to low-Earth orbit and commanded with a ham radio. Other satellites include the Phoenix, an infrared camera used to look at urban heat islands, and DORA, which uses lasers for inter-spacecraft communication.

Julia Tizard Hunter at the helm of the boat she used to cross the Pacific Ocean

A new explorer-in-residence

Meet Julia Tizard Hunter, Interplanetary Initiative’s latest explorer-in-residence. No stranger to adventure, the space visionary spent 10 months voyaging across the Pacific Ocean with her family and ran a marathon in the North Pole. Now, she’s ready for her next epic journey. In her new role, Hunter will be part of the initiative’s leadership team, giving her a platform to talk about important space topics on behalf of the university.

Explore our resources

A researcher in a lab holds up a sample in a tube while a colleague looks on

Accelerate your research

Whether you need help finding funding opportunities, crafting a proposal or commercializing your discoveries — ASU supports researchers through the entire research cycle.

Two people arrange Post-It notes on a transparent glass board

Partner with us

We can accomplish more together. Find out how you can create customized partnerships with ASU that help your organization thrive.

A student uses a tablet to control a robotic arm while a faculty member watches

Gain career experience

Students are vital to our ecosystem of research, entrepreneurship and innovation. Find opportunities to apply your coursework to hands-on projects and real-world challenges.

Three researchers on a boat prepare to lower a scientific instrument into the ocean

Support discovery

Philanthropy plays an important role in creating knowledge, pioneering discovery and catalyzing innovation. Learn how your gift can advance our work.

Be a part of ASU Knowledge Enterprise

Advance your career while making a difference. Knowledge Enterprise employees support research and innovation that benefits our communities and our world. And they enjoy generous and broad benefits including health and life insurance, retirement, tuition reduction and much more.