Oklahoma State University’s new strategic plan positions OSU to be The State’s University and the nation's leading land-grant institution.

A significant factor of a land-grant institution is its research. Without it, there would be no discovery that improves lives and advances society.

Goal three of the Answering the Call strategic plan — Powering Discovery for the Public Good — seeks to strengthen OSU’s position as a leader in research. The newly rebranded Office of Research Capacity and Competitiveness seeks to be a driving force in that goal.

Previously known as the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) office, the newly minted Office of Research Capacity and Competitiveness is a part of the Division of the Vice President for Research.

Under its director, Dr. Michael Long, the office will foster research collaborations across the university’s colleges and between other Oklahoma institutions such as universities and tribal nations.

More streamlined collaborations on large projects will make OSU’s researchers more competitive when applying for large grants.

“I see our faculty are really hungry for that extra leg up, to be able to go after bigger things,” said Dr. Kenneth Sewell, vice president for research. “They want to have a big impact on their field.”

The Office for Research Capacity and Competitiveness will help these faculty members organize and begin interdisciplinary projects on a scale that would be difficult alone. Earning large, competitive grants is critical to making these projects effective. The strategic plan tracks these key performance indicators to highlight how far OSU is progressing in its endeavors.

“Dollars in the research world are just a proxy for the level of impact you can make with the grant,” Sewell said.

This revamped office will also “uplift the entire research infrastructure of the state of Oklahoma,” Long said. By sharing resources and expertise, OSU will build crucial partnerships while developing multi-institutional projects that can create a lasting contribution statewide.

This collaboration is one of the office’s first priorities.

“I'm going to enjoy visiting a lot of these places because I've worked with a fair number of people from some of these universities, tribal nations or other partner organizations,” Long said. “But I rarely, if ever, got to go there, meet people in person and cultivate longer-term relationships. I am looking forward to that.”

OSU is a leading research institution, solidified by its Carnegie R1 status, but it must continue to give everything it has. This office will continue to strengthen OSU’s reputation as that research leader while empowering researchers across the state to dream as big as the sky.

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Story By: Adrienne Frye | adrienne.frye@okstate.edu