Strategic Priorities
The activities of OVPR are informed by our values, which are Partnership, Discovery, and Integrity. They guide us as we implement a set of strategic priorities identified by the research community, leadership, and external partners to advance the University’s research mission which is the generation and preservation of knowledge, understanding, and artistry through scholarly and creative activities that benefit students, researchers, and communities across the state, the nation, and the world. In addition, we remain ever cognizant of the degree to which the research mission is tightly coupled to the teaching and public service missions of the institution as well. OVPR recognizes that it is the synergies across the University’s tripartite mission that make us one of the top ten public research institutions in the country.
To align with the University Systemwide Strategic Plan, and in particular with respect to Commitments 2 and 3, “Discovery, Innovation, and Impact” and “MNtersections,” OVPR has identified three strategic priorities that we use to guide our activities and budgeting. In particular, we evaluate both our ongoing work as well as potential new initiatives by assessing the degree to which they not only align with the Systemwide Strategic Plan, but also:
- Enhance Research Excellence
- Promote and Sustain Research Integrity
- Accelerate the Transfer of Knowledge for the Public Good
Enhance Research Excellence
Enhance research excellence by investing in research—people and infrastructure—to enhance research competitiveness, foster interdisciplinary work, and address critical societal needs, while leveraging the unique advantages of the University of Minnesota. Examples include:
- University-wide Internal funding opportunities for faculty and research infrastructure, including:
- Rapid Response Grants: COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants & Social Justice Impact Grants Program
- Minnesota Futures Grant Program
- Infrastructure grants
- MnDRIVE (Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and InnoVation Economy)
- New enterprise technology supporting research, including MnGEMS
- The Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative (SPARC), which promotes and advances interdisciplinary partnerships, engaging researchers and practitioners to take advantage of non-traditional and large-scale research opportunities.
- Finding efficiencies, sustainability, and new opportunities in research resources, services and facilities
Promote and Sustain Research Integrity
Manage robust compliance activities, create a culture of responsible conduct of research, address research equity issues, and explore emerging ethical issues. Examples include:
- Manage a collection of robust compliance programs and activities
- Engage faculty, staff, students, and the broader community to create a culture of responsible conduct of research
- Advancing human research protections and promoting a culture of research ethics
- Exploring emerging research ethical issues through programming at the Consortium on Law and Values
Accelerate Knowledge Transfer for the Public Good
Because moving University-developed knowledge from academia to the community where it can do the most good is part of our Land Grant legacy, we support translational activities that build on basic research, facilitate commercialization of University technology, foster entrepreneurship, engage with business and industry, and engage students in research. Examples include:
- Technology Licensing
- Discovery Launchpad startup incubator
- Discovery Capital Investment Program
- MN-IP (Minnesota Innovation Partnerships)
- Industry Engagement