At the first Office of Research and Innovation (OR&I) Town Hall, OR&I leaders and partners shared a forward-looking vision for strengthening MSU’s research enterprise through collaboration, strategic investment, and a stronger focus on real-world impact. The event brought together OR&I staff and partners to discuss priorities for growth, highlight emerging opportunities, and reinforce the role research plays in improving lives in Michigan and beyond.
In his opening remarks, Vice President for Research and Innovation Shashank Priya emphasized a bold long-term aspiration for MSU’s research enterprise: to become a top 10 research institution within 10 years. He framed that goal around a commitment to excellence, stronger teamwork, and a culture focused on outcomes that help researchers succeed and translate discovery into public benefit. Priya also underscored MSU’s land-grant mission, noting that research must ultimately serve people, communities, and society.
Throughout the morning, speakers returned to several recurring themes: the importance of breaking down silos, expanding team science and interdisciplinary collaboration, and investing in the people, infrastructure, and processes that help research thrive. Priya highlighted the need to grow MSU’s external research funding, strengthen shared research infrastructure such as core facilities and computing capacity, and reduce administrative burden.
The town hall also highlighted the importance of partnerships beyond campus. In a panel discussion featuring leaders from the MSU Research Foundation, MSU Innovation Center, and the Green and White Council, speakers discussed how stronger engagement with industry and corporate partners can help move research into real-world application, expand economic impact, and create new opportunities for researchers and students. A consistent message from the discussion was that MSU has significant strengths to build on and can benefit from a more coordinated, university-wide approach to external engagement.
Another session focused on MSU’s growing work in the national security space, where leaders described opportunities for the university to contribute through engineering, advanced technology, applied research, and workforce development. Speakers pointed to existing strengths, including specialized facilities, such as FRIB, technical expertise, and research security infrastructure, as a foundation for expanding MSU’s role in addressing national and global challenges.
The program also showcased innovation emerging directly from the university community. Presenters from BRCĒ, an MSU-born startup developing advanced materials technology, and Iaso Therapeutics, an MSU-based company advancing synthetic vaccine technology, shared how university research and entrepreneurial support can lead to promising new products and ventures. Their presentations illustrated both the creativity of MSU innovators and the broader value of helping discoveries move from campus into the marketplace.
The morning concluded with a discussion of the expanding Henry Ford Health + MSU partnership, which leaders described as a major opportunity to strengthen biomedical research, education, innovation, and clinical collaboration. Speakers highlighted work underway to activate a major new research facility in Detroit, recruit research talent, and build a shared culture that supports discovery and public impact at scale. They also emphasized the partnership’s potential to improve health outcomes, support communities, and elevate MSU’s national research profile.
In the afternoon session, Provost Laura Lee McIntyre joined Priya for a conversation about the future of research at MSU and the close connection between MSU’s research and academic missions. McIntrye emphasized that research and teaching are “inextricably linked,” with discovery, teaching, and student preparation all contributing to the university’s land-grant mission and public impact. She also highlighted emerging opportunities in areas such as artificial intelligence, One Health, and national security, while stressing the importance of ethics, collaboration, and adaptability in a changing research environment.
In his closing remarks, Priya returned to several themes that framed the day: collaboration, impact, and partnership. He reiterated that research should lead to outcomes that benefit society and that MSU must continue strengthening partnerships within Michigan and beyond to accelerate progress. Encouraging communication and feedback, Priya described the town hall as a starting point for stronger connection across the research community.
Across sessions, the town hall presented a clear message: MSU’s research enterprise is already strong, but its future growth will depend on shared purpose, faster and more connected ways of working, and continued investment in the people and partnerships that make discovery possible. For the OR&I community and its partners, the event served as both a celebration of progress and a call to work together toward a more ambitious future for research at MSU.
The Importance of Partnerships Beyond Campus
In a panel discussion, (L to R) Associate Vice President Kay Connelly discussed with Sanjay Gupta from the Green and White Council, Jeff Smith from the MSU Research Foundation, and Associate Vice President Charley Hasemann of the MSU Innovation Center, about how stronger engagement with industry and corporate partners can help move research into real-world applications and create new opportunities for researchers and students.
Spartan Spirit
Attendees were greeted with an appearance by Sparty during lunch.