Grow Basic and Translational Research Impact

The research enterprise of The Grainger College of Engineering, driven by our faculty, staff, and students, has transformed the world. We are committed to growing and diversifying our research programs, and therefore our impact. Our approach will be consistent with our values. Even as we leverage our scale and celebrate excellence in basic research, we will renew our commitment to corporate and external partnerships to translate research, advance society, improve the human condition and drive economic growth.  As societal challenges increasingly demand bringing together wide-ranging disciplines to optimize solutions, we will partner with our peers on campus, in the University of Illinois system, our community, the State of Illinois, and the nation. We will strengthen our entrepreneurial ecosystem, shaping the national agenda around university-driven innovation. We will leverage this investment in translational research to propel us to higher national and international prominence. Growth in our combined portfolio of basic and applied research will rely on the interdisciplinary manner in which our faculty collaborate amongst themselves, across colleges and with peers globally. Those teams will pursue world-class discoveries, innovations and the translation of research.  To achieve this vision, we will:

• Incentivize a culture of excellence in both basic and applied research, and cross-campus engagement
• Enhance the ability of our faculty, staff and students to engage in translational research
• Develop strategic partnerships at the state, national and international levels
• Strengthen our research infrastructure with additional tools and personnel

The pursuit of these objectives will increase our capacity to positively impact the world and enhance our visibility and relevance. With this growth of the research enterprise, we will reclaim a top five national ranking within five years. As a result of our efforts, we expect our total research expenditures and our research expenditures per faculty to increase at a significantly greater rate than that of our peers over the next five years.