MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright announced plans on Tuesday to double research funding while expanding research and creative activities that impact Missouri, the U.S. and rest of the world.
“MU faculty are shaping views on politics and society,” Cartwright said. “They enrich our lives through arts and humanities. They develop solutions to the world’s great challenges in food, water, health and others, and they engage our community both on and off campus. This significant impact is creating a better future for citizens of our state, nation and the world.”
The University of Missouri currently spends $200 million on research annually. Cartwright is trying to double that number within the next five years.
One of the ways to increase funding is by adding national research centers, which provide resources for scientists while establishing the host institution as the foremost leader in the research field.
Cartwright said he hopes MU will be able to add three to five of these centers within the five-year time frame. Doing so will bring in large amounts of both federal and other external funds.
Cartwright said the initiatives will not only help the university, but also the state’s overall economy.
“We should have more jobs,” Cartwright said.” “Because the research you’re doing then translates into more inventions, more technologies that then get transferred out, more companies – and that will actually have an impact on the entire economy.”
A study detailing MU’s overall economic impact will be available next month.