In this blog you will find stories, profiles, and announcements that highlight the ways that the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED) fosters an outstanding environment for University of Michigan – Flint students, faculty and staff, and the surrounding community. You will also find essays that make the case for general involvement in research on campus and beyond.

As you read through, you will find several recurring themes. First, UM-Flint faculty and staff are very focused on student success. The campus community takes pride in low instructor-to-student ratios and offers many direct supports to make a difference in students’ lives.  Through engaged learning, student research, and new initiatives to support student retention and a sense of belonging on campus, new models of learning are reflected in emerging interdisciplinary and project based curricula.

Second, collaboration is key. The landscape of research and innovation are shifting from foundational or disciplinary forms of inquiry to collaborative and team-based problem solving.  External funding agencies and foundations are increasingly seeking collaborative projects within and across multiple institutions to address societal concerns.  At UM-Flint many professors work in collaboration with graduate and undergraduate student researchers to advance this kind of research and to innovate with community and research partners to meet the challenges of our time.

Third, you will find innovation and entrepreneurship keep resurfacing. The Office of Economic Development (OED) supports the innovation ecosystem in the Greater Flint region of Michigan through its network of county economic development officers, supported by OED’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) Center at UM-Flint, its MWIN fellowship program to train faculty in research commercializing and technology transfer, and the Innovation Incubator which promotes business start-ups and entrepreneurship, like the Young Sharks program, a business pitch competition for K-12 students.

This content is created by ORED communications interns Rob McCullough, Daba Mbow, and Elijah Johnson. Collaborators and contributors will be credited clearly. For questions, comments, corrections, or even just to share a story you’re interested in, reach out at [email protected].