MSU Research Foundation | Office of Research and Innovation

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The MSU Research Foundation pushes the boundaries of research and discovery by reinvesting over $10 million annually back into the brightest minds at MSU. The Foundation bridges the gap between intellectual property and startup venture, leading the way in early-stage investments throughout Michigan, crafting an ecosystem for high-tech, high-growth startup businesses and collaborators to thrive.

Formed in 1973, the MSU Research Foundation is an independent foundation chartered to promote, encourage, and aid scientific investigation and research at the university; assist with patent matters and perform trust functions for the university’s fundraising organization.

MSURF partners with the Office of Research and Innovation and generously supports several programs including those outlined below. Learn more about how the MSU Research Foundation supports the university, venture creation, and economic development.

MSU Research Foundation Website

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Internal Grants

MSU offers several programs for research development across disciplines including the arts and humanities.

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Shared Research Infrastructure

Support for shared research resources advance MSU's cutting-edge research priorities and equip university researchers with the needed tools for discovery.

Tetrad

Designed to foster new cross-unit and cross-college collaborations among faculty who have not worked together before.

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Grant Development Workshops

Tailored services and development workshops to help MSU researchers successfully compete for external funding for their research and creative pursuits.

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MSURF Professorships

A title awarded to outstanding faculty who combine externally recognized, exemplary scholarly accomplishments with clear professional relevance to specific areas of MSU scholarly need, disciplinary development, or research or creative emphasis.

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Plant Science Excellence

Investing in continued excellence and leadership in the plant sciences at MSU.

News

NIH Awards Multi-University Team Over $4M to Improve Women’s Health

Sep 15, 2026

A $4.6 million NIH award is supporting an MSU-led research team working to improve women’s health through advanced computer models that account for hormonal changes across the lifespan.

Henry Ford + MSU Innovation Fund Announces First Investments

Jul 30, 2026

The Henry Ford + MSU Innovation Fund has made its first investments, supporting two early-stage companies developing technologies to improve diagnosis, treatment and patient care.

Research Foundation Announces New Rosenberg Center Headquarters

Jun 16, 2026

The MSU Research Foundation is investing $20 million in the new Rosenberg Center, a campus hub that will bring together startups, researchers, investors and industry partners to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship.

Frank Honored for Advances in Sociological Methods

Jun 15, 2026

MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor Kenneth Frank received the American Sociological Association’s Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award for pioneering contributions to sociological research methods.

MSURF Sponsored Research

Moran’s Research to Better Understand Earth’s Ecosystems

Moran’s research uses stable isotope analysis to address an array of questions linked to microbial ecology and plant-microbe interactions. He is particularly interested in tracking interactions between plant roots and microbes in the thin region of soil just outside the roots, called the rhizosphere.

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MSU Museum and GEL Lab Secure HARP Grant for Gaming Exhibition

The MSU Museum and the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab have been awarded the prestigious 2025 Humanities and Arts Research Program Large-Scale Development Grant to support the creation of Game Changers, an immersive exhibition exploring the societal, cultural and technological impact of video games.

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Afro-Caribbean Artists Reclaim Stories of Slave Trade in New Documentary

Safoi Babana-Hampton, Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University, has produced and directed a documentary that features artists, historians, and policymakers who challenge Eurocentric narratives to reclaim, reshape, and preserve the memory of the Black Atlantic experience.

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MSU Scientists Discover New Sources for ‘The Molecule That Made the Universe’

From helping catalyze interstellar reactions and fueling the birth of stars to its presence in neighborhood gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter, trihydrogen, or H3+, is best known as the “the molecule that made the universe.”