Carolina rises to fifth among U.S. universities for federal research funding Posted Nov 30, 2018 UNC-Chapel Hill has reached the ranks of the top five research universities in the United States for federal research expenditures, according to the latest National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey. Carolina posted a record high for both overall research expenditures and federal expenditures during Fiscal Year 2017. (UNC.edu)