The University of North Texas has recently launched four new Institutes of Research to offer students and faculty new opportunities in sharing and expanding their knowledge. With the new ability for the UNT community to collaborate on projects, expand interdisciplinary research, and form partnerships with industry leaders, it will become possible to expand economic growth within the North Texas region.
The four institutes to open are: the Advanced Environmental Research Institute, which will develop solutions to real-world environmental problems, the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute, which will construct materials for the aerospace, automotive and energy sector, the BioDiscovery Institute, which will utilize plants to engineer new materials, and the Logistics Systems Institute, which will conduct research of a wide array relating to logistics and system development.
According to UNT President, Neal Smatresk, these areas were chosen as the new research institutions because they represent fields where faculty are already making their mark. “With these institutes, we are creating a stronger pipeline to bring our faculty expertise to industry and the public – and to make important advances in everything from energy to health,” he said.
Leadership at UNT hope that the new institutes will help increase the impact that research on the college has on the greater good. By strengthening both community and industry partnerships, research at UNT could have a much more far-reaching impact affecting the community, nation or world at large.
Tom McCoy, Vice President of research and economic development at UNT, emphasized the fact that UNT faculty were already making their impact through innovative research and discovery. “By fostering more collaborative, interdisciplinary research and creating a stronger infrastructure for the transfer of knowledge, these institutes bring the power of UNT’s research to the marketplace.”