The global economic crisis exacerbated by U.S. sequestration has resulted in funding for research and development either remaining flat or declining slightly. By comparison, collectively, countries in Europe and Asia have expanded R&D investments. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of and extent to which international sponsors are funding R&D at U.S. research institutions. This retrospective, longitudinal cohort study included R&D expenditures data from 2006 to 2012 for a convenience sample of 24 U.S. research universities selected from the 2012 report of "Higher education research and development" (National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2013), broken down by total R&D expenditures, international support of R&D expenditures, countries, and sponsors of that support. A steady increase in R&D expenditures from international sources for successful universities suggests that international investment in R&D may become a significant driver of research innovation for all U.S. universities. The results of this study support the importance for having U.S. research institutions invest in research administration infrastructure to facilitate international collaborations and employ deliberate strategic directions in securing international support for R&D expenditures.