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Other Departments and Offices for Research and Services

Office of Research and Innovation

Douglas A. Gage, Vice President for Research and Innovation

Research and creative activity are part of the daily life of professors and students alike at Michigan State University. What scientists learn in their laboratories becomes what they teach and transfer into the marketplace. The goal of such curiosity, creativity, and learning, is a deeper understanding of individuals, society, and the world.

In the land-grant, problem-solving tradition, Michigan State University’s research breakthroughs have improved life for people around the world, from cross-fertilization of corn in the 1870s to successful anticancer drugs in the 1960s and then to novel approaches for treating and stopping the spread of malaria in the 21st century.

In concert with the Provost, the office is responsible for recruiting outstanding faculty through MSU's Global Impact Initiative, and maintaining synergy between research and creative scholarship and the education of graduate students through The Graduate School. The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation:

promotes excellence in research at Michigan State University by providing many types of support, such as:
1. seed funding for promising research and creative activity
2. coordination and support of the research grant proposal process
3. the latest research training, facilities and infrastructure
4. proactive opportunities for sponsored research
5. protection and licensing of intellectual property
6. support for scale-up and commercialization of technologies, and
7. recognition of research excellence in faculty recruitment, retention, and career development
oversees the ethical conduct of research, including conflict of interest issues
implements university policies relevant to research and creative activities
enhances the safety of researchers and research subjects
assures compliance with state and federal regulations regarding research, export control, and trade sanctions
seeks ways to contribute to the state’s economic development by leveraging the university's intellectual capital.

Michigan State University has more than 100 active research centers and institutes on campus, as well as field research sites throughout the state of Michigan. The Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ) exemplifies the interdisciplinary capacity and ability to attract outstanding faculty to such entities. Most centers and institutes are interdisciplinary and several are joint initiatives between MSU and other universities around the world. Examples of these research collaborations include:

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a new national user facility for nuclear science, funded by the Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), Michigan State University (MSU), and the State of Michigan. Located on-campus and operated by MSU, FRIB will provide intense beams of rare isotopes, that is, short-lived nuclei not normally found on Earth.
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to conduct transformational biofuels research.
The 4.1m Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope in Cerro Pachon, Chile, operated by a consortium including Michigan State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and the country of Brazil.

The university also maintains a wide array of research support facilities, such as the Research Technology Support Facility (RTSF), which provides technical and analytical support for biomedical and agricultural research in genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and mass spectrometry, the Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research (ICER), which provides advanced computational resources for research, and the Center for Statistical Training and Consulting (CSTAT), which provides training, grant development, and consulting in statistics for faculty, staff, and graduate students. The Clinical Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) supports an interdisciplinary group of MSU scholars and medical community partners performing research, clinical trials, and medical investigations focused on improving human health.

The Office of Research and Innovation strongly encourages student research opportunities and creative activities at the undergraduate and the graduate level. The unit also supports entrepreneurship opportunities for students.

For more information, e-mail research@msu.edu, call 1-517-355-0306, or visit research.msu.edu.

MSU Bioeconomy Institute

Doug Heemstra, Director of Operations
Thomas Guarr, Director of R & D

The MSU Bioeconomy Institute complements and extends MSU campus research that supports the emerging bioeconomy, including biofuels, bio-based specialty chemicals and biomaterials. The institute provides microbial fermentation and chemical pilot plant scale-up production and conducts sponsored research and testing for both for-profit and not-for-profit entities of all sizes. It also offers business incubation opportunities and extensive laboratory space rental, as well as educational programming and training.

For more information, call 1-616-395-8958 or visit www.bioeconomy.msu.edu.

Office of Research Regulatory Support

Laura McCabe, Associate Vice President for Research Regulatory Support

Michigan State University researchers seek to conduct their research in ways that protect the health and safety of research subjects and investigators as well as the environment. The Office of Research Regulatory Support (ORRS) offers online and face-to-face training and resources to help researchers assure safety in their labs, conduct research responsibly, and comply with relevant regulations. ORRS also pursues accreditation and certifications to assure that programs relating to human and animal subjects and environmental health and safety not only meet, but exceed, federal regulations. These efforts aim to maintain Michigan State University‘s respected compliance record. The major units within the office include:

Human Research Protection Program (HRRP) - protects individuals who are subjects of research and/or clinical investigations through MSU's commitment to follow ethical standards described in the Belmont Report and applicable federal, state, local, and university requirements. The program is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. The HRPP includes the offices of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Compliance, and provides support to the MSU IRB committees. For more information, call 1-517-355-2180, e-mail irb@msu.edu or visit hrpp.msu.edu.

Animal Care Program - provides support and oversight for all animal-related research, teaching, and outreach at Michigan State University, including ethical review of animal use; acquisition, husbandry, and veterinary care of animals; training and educational opportunities; and public outreach. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee implements regulatory oversight requirements; Campus Animal Resources provides husbandry and veterinary care as well as technical services such as breeding programs and special care. The Michigan State University Animal Care Program is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International. For more information, visit the Web site at https://animalcare.msu.edu/. Call Campus Animal Resources at 1-517-353-5064 or call the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at 1-517-432-8103, or email iacuc@msu.edu.

Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) - serves as a proactive provider of regulatory guidance, education, training, and compliance assistance to the university community to ensure that all faculty, students, and staff work in a safe and productive environment. The office acts as the primary liaison between the university and federal, state, and local environmental health agencies, including Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. For more information, call 1-517-355-0153 or visit www.ehs.msu.edu.

Faculty Conflict of Interest Officer - serves as a resource to faculty and administrators on defining and addressing faculty conflicts of interest, and maintains institutional procedures for faculty members to report significant financial interests and other opportunities for tangible personal benefit. For more information, call 1-517-884-7000, email fcoiio@msu.edu or visit www.coi.msu.edu.

Export Control and Trade Sanctions - oversees the university's compliance with export control regulations, which impose access, dissemination, and participation restrictions on transfer of controlled goods, software and information, and trade sanction regulations, which apply to certain individuals, entities and governments, based on U.S. policy and national security goals. The unit maintains a site license for identifying lists of debarred parties and entities, provides ongoing training programs, and sponsors an annual educational conference. Learn more at www.exportcontrols.msu.edu.

For more information about the ORRS, call 1-517-432-4500 or visit www.orrs.msu.edu.

MSU Innovation Center

Charles Hasemann, Associate Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development

The MSU Innovation Center provides resources to MSU faculty to develop and support corporate research relationships, new company startups, technology commercialization, and a growing portfolio of business and community partnerships.

MSU researchers turn to the MSU Innovation Center to translate their scientific discoveries into products and launch businesses that benefit society and spur economic growth. We work directly with faculty, students and commercial partners, bringing more than 180 discoveries annually into a pipeline of patents, products and startup businesses.

Three units within the MSU Innovation Center operate in one location on the third floor at 325 E. Grand River Ave.

MSU Business-CONNECT - serves as the front door for businesses to connect with MSU researchers, lab space and facilities to advance technologies and research. These project partnerships can be with large multinational organizations or small business enterprises alike. The unit negotiates all of MSU's corporate sponsored research projects, which total more than $20 million annually.

MSU Technologies - facilitates MSU's technology transfer and commercialization, supporting commercial development and public use of technologies and licensable copyrighted materials developed by MSU faculty and staff. Whether it's guidance on the patent process, identifying funding opportunities for technology development, or securing a license, MSU Technologies can assist. Over the past several years, $2.4 million in royalties have been annually distributed to MSU faculty members and their departments to be reinvested in research.

Spartan Innovations - helps MSU's students and faculty launch sustainable startups. Spartan innovators imagine a better world, then work to make it a reality. This unit supports their efforts by connecting them to experienced business leaders and cultivating community collaborations. The MSU Foundation provides major funding for this initiative.

Learn more at innovationcenter.msu.edu or visit us on social: @msuinnovation.

MSU St. Andrews

Charles Hasemann, Associate Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development
Troy Terwillegar, Site Manager

Michigan State University engages in exploratory and development chemistry in the historic St. Andrews Laboratory in Midland, Michigan. From this base, MSU also operates a STEAM education center, and provides valuable learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to students, families, and teachers in the Great Lakes Bay area. Support for both the facility and educational programming is provided by a number of Midland area family foundations as well as the Dow Chemical Company Foundation. Visit www.standrews.msu.edu or call 1-989-374-9904 for more information.