Research, Discovery, and Innovation Task Force
The Research, Discovery, and Innovation Task Force will focus on assessing the research lifecycle to identify and understand opportunities for integration that will yield increased research collaboration, propel new areas of research, and support the attainment of research recognition. The Research, Discovery, and Innovation Task Force will also focus on asset mapping and evaluating strengths of existing supporting infrastructure (e.g., processes, policies, roles & responsibilities, organizational units, technologies) at both institutions to make recommendations about infrastructure necessary to achieve the desired research outcomes as an integrated entity.
Task Force Updates
Launched early integration priorities
Launched early integration priorities, including a shared researcher database, topical interest groups, joint research centers, cluster hiring and the “Day 1” Research Integration Campaign.
Established new working groups
Established new working groups (Research Analytics, Research Security & IT) and advanced existing ones in finance, operations, commercialization and faculty experience—laying the foundation for a more collaborative research enterprise.
Day 1 Research Integration Communication Campaign Plan
Task force members operationalized working groups, provided input to cluster-hiring opportunities, evaluated operational input of early win opportunities and challenges and developed a Day 1 Research Integration Communication Campaign Plan.
Task Force Team
Working Groups
The mission of the Commercialization and Innovation Working Group is to strengthen intellectual property (IP) and commercialization strategies by reviewing existing IP and revenue-sharing agreements, assessing potential patents and commercialization efforts affected during the first year of integration and identifying associated risks. Using data-driven forecasting, the group aims to uncover new opportunities for innovation and growth.
The mission of the Faculty Experience Working Group is to assess the current faculty experience—focusing on collaboration opportunities and early and mid-career development for investigators—and to develop a roadmap for fostering a supportive, engaging environment that promotes professional growth and research excellence following integration on September 1, 2025.
The mission of the Research Finance Working Group is to assess the current state of research finance policies and procedures, evaluate future-state models, conduct a gap analysis and prepare business processes to support unified reporting for national research ranking programs. The group will also develop a strategic roadmap for integrating research finance activities.
The mission of the Research Operations Working Group is to assess the current state of research administration policies and procedures, evaluate future-state models, conduct a comprehensive gap analysis and develop a strategic roadmap for integrating research operations in Phase 2 and beyond.
