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Planning can really pay off, especially in the case of UND’s research enterprise, which nearly tripled at UND in the last nine years.
Bolstered by internationally recognized centers of excellence in energy and the environment, medicine, and aerospace, UND serves as a hub for a substantial research, development, demonstration and commercialization complex that links companies and organizations throughout the world.
As UND has ramped up research, new initiatives such as the addition of a vice president for research and an Office for Intellectual Property Commercialization and Economic Development have benefited both faculty and the University. Efforts to commercialize inventions and technology that stem from UND research are beginning to pay off, with business partnerships and other funding that benefits the University, the city and the state.
Research at UND generated record levels of external awards and expenditures for fiscal year 2007. Sponsored program awards reached a level of $100.2 million as of June 30. Grant and contract awards reached an all-time high of $89.2 million in fiscal year 2007. At the end of the fiscal year, the University’s research portfolio included $317 million in total ongoing and committed accounts. University researchers submitted 967 proposals to external agencies, requesting a record $350 million during the past year. During fiscal year 2007, UND received a record 729 grant and contract awards.
The UND research program generates a significant economic impact. For fiscal year 2007, input-output analysis estimated this impact on Grand Forks County, the state of North Dakota, and the North Central Census Region at $174 million in economic output, 1,649 jobs, and over $32.9 million in local, state, and federal tax revenue.
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The challenge before UND’s research enterprise is to continue the impressive trajectory that has been established into the future. One response to that challenge is the creation of the Research Enterprise and Commercialization (REAC) Park on the southwest edge of the campus. This park will host facilities to accommodate the development of research-based enterprises utilizing UND’s expertise and intellectual property. The anchor facility in this 19.5-acre site is the Center for Excellence in Life Sciences and Advanced Technology (COELSAT), now under construction.
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The desire to learn and create lies at the very heart of the university experience. This vitality has energized UND since its earliest days, yielding important benefits to the institution, to the state and nation, and to humanity in general.
Direct involvement in the discovery and application of knowledge adds “zip” and “sizzle” to faculty enthusiasm for their subjects. And it helps give students a zest and aptitude for lifelong learning, especially when taught by those who practice it themselves. For these reasons, all faculty at UND are expected to actively practice their arts and engage in discovery and scholarship.
The Red River Valley Research Corridor, proposed by Sen. Byron Dorgan in 2002, generated $759 million in economic impact to the area between 2002 and 2006. UND and North Dakota State University formed partnerships with the state’s other colleges and universities, increasing the ability of North Dakota talent to conduct research. |
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Scholarship and creative activity are at the heart of the University’s mission. From art to English, physics to philosophy, UND faculty enrich their disciplines and share their interests with students and the world at large. |
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2002, continued
December: The holiday season is launched with a new tradition, “The Lighting of the Green,” outside the Memorial Union.
2003
May: UND awards 57 doctoral degrees in 2002-3003, placing it in the top rank of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education .... Salaries are expected to raise 5 percent for faculty and 4 percent for staff.
August: Dakota Hall opens.
September: The College of Business and Public Administration dedicates its Kirk Lanterman Investment Center .... Fall semester enrollment sets a record with 13,034 students .... Research and sponsored programs awards surpass $71 million.
November: Dru Sjodin, a 22-year-old UND student, is reported missing; national media cover the story as hundreds of citizens and students search the area for her .... The Energy & Environmental Research Center opens a new, 47,000-square-foot addition; the structure incorporates significant “green building” concepts.
December: A series of forums explores “The American Indian Experience.” 
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