Office of Research & Economic Development

Stories of support, collaboration, research and community engagement

About ORED

The Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED) exists to connect University of Michigan-Flint’s and its resources, faculty, and students, to the societal, training and workforce development needs for our regional, community, industry and business partners and stakeholders. The goal is to grow research and innovation by identifying and meeting gaps in current skills, knowledge or practice and supporting new research and development strategies to address them.

Long distance view of the Northbank center from the Library through the fall trees

Mission & Objectives:

  • Advance and promote the research mission of UM-Flint by supporting faculty and students with services and resources to enhance creative endeavors 
  • Establish and nurture partnerships and collaborations with community agencies, businesses and industry, and private foundations
  • Develop linkages between ORED activities and UM-Flint educational programs 
  • Develop infrastructure, practices, and policy to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, applied research, and tech-transfer culture at UM-Flint
  • Communicate to the general public, to the state and region the value proposition of UM-Flint in general, and more specifically to greater Flint

To accomplish this, ORED integrates two offices with complementary and intersecting missions.

The Office of Research (OR)

The Office of Research supports faculty and staff in externally funded research and sponsored projects. It also supports students to get involved with cutting-edge research projects at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The office of Research also seeks collaboration with nearby universities and corporate partners, to better invest in student training, career development, and areas of faculty curricular and research expertise.  To learn more about the many programs and opportunities in the Office of Research, click here.

The Office of Economic Development (OED)

The Office of Economic Development works to make UM-Flint a vital partner to an engaged Flint community by engaging in active, reciprocal relationships with the city, region and beyond. Through partnerships, the OED creates opportunities for student learning and academic research that has value for communities locally and around the world. For more information about the many OED programs matching university strengths with areas of community interest, click here.