Individual states funnelled US$1.8 billion into research labs and studies in 2013, with one-quarter of that devoted to basic research, finds a survey by the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia. Although federal funding for research and development (R&D) dwarfs state investments, state expenditures can help to tailor workforces to regional needs, says James Hearn, associate director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia in Athens. Five states together accounted for almost three-fifths of the investments (see 'Top R&D spenders'). External R&D — mainly that at academic institutions — tended to receive more than the internal R&D conducted by state agencies.