In 1995, Colorado ranked 26th among the states in higher education current fund expenditures. In 1994-95, Colorado institutions of higher education awarded 35,645 degrees in all categories. According to 1995 statistics, the state's labor force includes 9,261 doctoral scientists and 1,945 doctoral engineers. In 1996, Colorado awarded 545 science and engineering doctoral degrees, ranking 17th among states. The degree to which Colorado industry and institutions conduct research is an indicator of the capacity of the state to support technical growth and innovation.
Research performed by Colorado industry is funded internally, or by government contracts.
Research performed by Colorado universities and colleges is funded through a combination of federal, state and local government, by industry, by universities and colleges, and by nonprofits. In contrast, federal funding in Colorado evidenced a sharp decline in 1992 and 1995. Now, over the last couple of years it is slowly increasing. Venture Capital Investment Venture capital sources carefully select and invest in companies with high growth and revenue potential. Venture capital investments are a measure of the state's competitive position as viewed by the investment community.