MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon called the results of the analysis “astounding.”

“Through these universities, which are competitive with any research area in the country, people can see that Michigan is open for business,” she said.

What most surprised Simon about the findings was how URC stacked up to similar university clusters.

The more than 133,000 students the URC enroll make it the largest research university cluster in the nation in terms of enrollment.

URC universities also grant more degrees in medicine and physical science than any cluster in the nation, according to the report.

Anderson Economic Group, a consulting firm based in East Lansing, released the report Monday.

Patrick Anderson, CEO of the firm, said the report conservatively takes into account the economic contributions of URC universities.

The report’s release coincides with efforts to finalize the state’s budget, which will include how much funding the universities will receive.

Simon said the report should not be viewed as a “ploy” by the universities to get involved in the state’s budget issues.

“This wasn’t a report that was meant for politics on the other side of Michigan Avenue,” Simon said. “The desire was to put the importance of an internationally and globally ranked group of universities into perspective.”

The URC received a 35 percent increase in revenue from 2002 to 2006, while state appropriations for the schools were cut 13 percent over the same four-year period.

Louis Meizlish, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, said regardless of the results of the report, the state is not “awash with funds.”

“However valuable any particular institution is, we cannot be making promises we cannot keep by spending beyond the revenues we have,” he said.