Supporting Innovation at the UO
Research means looking at the world around us. Innovation means transforming it. At the UO, research and innovation are fundamental to our mission and our state’s economy.
As one of only two Pacific Northwest universities in the prestigious Association of American Universities, we have a proven track record.
We can trace this tradition of research and innovation back to the 1950s, when we created the Institute of Molecular Biology. You might say interdisciplinary research is part of our DNA.
The UO is home to over 13 research institutes and centers, which bring together an array of fields, from humanities and social sciences to physical sciences and technical fields.
The Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact is a bold new model that accelerates the cycle of scientific discovery and development through world-class research, training, and entrepreneurship in an open and collaborative cross-disciplinary environment. Teams of scientists, researchers, and students blur lines between disciplines and pursue discovery in the lab; develop novel biomedical devices and therapies; and deploy new technologies to the marketplace, where products, innovations, or cures impact people’s lives.
What starts as a simple idea can become something that transforms lives. The University of Oregon Portland is home to research centers focused on solving problems and making a difference. Faculty members from both Portland and Eugene use our campus and facilities as an expansive urban laboratory. Faculty and students collaborate across disciplines and geography to explore bid-idea initiatives with measurable impacts. Leaders in our research centers are uniting different disciplines to work on society’s most vexing problems—conducting both fundamental and applied research to improve our communities, find ways to live more sustainably, and explore the origins of the universe.
The Women's Innovation Network (WIN) is a nine-month program that helps UO faculty, graduate students, and entrepreneurs in our community navigate gender-based barriers to bringing their research to market or to launching and sustaining their businesses.
WIN is a community of executives and industry leaders offering guidance, encouragement, and alternative pathways for women to succeed in male-dominated industries.
The UVDF supports entrepreneurship programs, provides opportunities to apply research to commercial activities, and funds efforts to transform novel concepts into products and services. This is how new ideas on campus become new businesses for the state.
The University of Oregon has a long history of advancement and innovation through interdisciplinary research, education, and training. Our highly collaborative culture is supported by our research centers and institutes overseen by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. Within our network of centers and institutes, researchers, students, and supporting staff work across disciplines to expand the boundaries of knowledge and develop innovative solutions to global challenges.