MSU event to showcase research resources and partnership opportunities for regional industries, scholars

BOZEMAN - Montana State University will showcase its research infrastructure Nov. 9 at a celebration of the campus's research centers, institutes and core facilities and their partnerships with researchers across the state.

The Centers, Institutes and Core Facilities Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Norm Asbjornson Hall at MSU. Representatives from several MSU research entities will describe how they support MSU and external users by providing access to specialized equipment, expert consulting and new partnership opportunities.

Alison Harmon, MSU's vice president for research and economic development, said the event is designed to raise regional awareness of potential partnership opportunities available at MSU.

"MSU has remarkable research expertise and capabilities, but their greatest value comes from putting them to work in service of discovery, innovation and partnership," Harmon said. "We want researchers, communities and partners across Montana to see these resources as accessible to them and imagine what we can accomplish together."

Attendees will have a chance to win either a Proposal Enhancement Grant administered by the Office of Research Development or one of seven $1,000 awards to be used at any of the Research and Economic Development core facilities.

MSU's research office oversees 12 core research facilities whose mission is to facilitate high-impact research and scholarship and provide distinctive, high-quality educational opportunities for students. They also serve as scientific hubs where academic research and industry are brought together to foster collaborative research, licensing opportunities and workforce development. They provide access to advanced instrumentation and expertise to lower technical barriers and accelerate research and development. The equipment housed in the core facilities is generally considered cost prohibitive to purchase and maintain, so working with the facilities allows researchers and industry to access it without massive capital expenditure.

Companies who outsource their work to a core facility generally can ship samples and receive data back in a couple of weeks, said Mary Gauvin, MSU's director of Research and Economic Development Service Centers.

In addition to the core facilities, the research office administers numerous research centers and institutes, which serve as hubs of innovation that bring together communities of scholars investigating areas ranging from national security to community health. Carl Yeoman, associate vice president for research, said the Nov. 9 event will provide a critical introduction to the university's interdisciplinary research hubs for junior faculty.

"Our centers and institutes are engines for career acceleration, offering junior faculty immediate integration in large-scale, high-impact research," Yeoman said. "By stepping outside their home departments, faculty tap into dedicated proposal support, seed funding opportunities and a community of established scholars that can provide career mentorship."

For more information about the event or to register, visit www.montana.edu/ric/centers_institutes_core_facilities_day/.