Media outlets, including Forbes, reported on WPI's designation as an R1 institution. The classification from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching identifies WPI as a top-tier research institution based on research spending and the number of doctoral degrees awarded annually.

Defense Visual Information Distribution Service explained how researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory collaborate with academic partners at WPI and other institutions in the Northeast. Bogdan Vernescu, WPI's vice provost for research, is quoted in the piece talking about each of the universities collaborating to meet the Army’s needs.