The Research and Innovation Office (RIO) is pleased to announce the launch of a new unit: the Research Development Office (RDO). This new office will increase researchers’ impact by enhancing their competitiveness in securing funding and will strategically grow research programs across the university.
The RDO combines the former Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative (SPARC) and Research Advancement teams into a single team within RIO for strategy and proposal development needs.
The RDO will be led by Robert Hampshire, who starts as executive director on October 6.
"As the leader of the Research Development Office, I'm excited to partner with the broad University of Minnesota community to foster impactful collaborations across academia, industry, nonprofits, NGOs, and government agencies,” said Hampshire. “My philosophy for partnership is based on three key lessons I learned while leading research at the US Department of Transportation: define a bold, measurable mission with tangible outcomes; build coalitions that cross sector and discipline lines; and move at ‘mission speed’ from lab to deployment.”
The RDO will enhance research impact by focusing on three core areas:
- Research Strategy and Engagement: Provides strategic intelligence and planning as well as proactive stakeholder and partner engagement.
- RIO Funding and Awards: Administers internal grant competitions and award programs that seed innovative research.
- Proposal Development: Provides tailored services to support the development and submission of grant proposals for a wide range of funding agencies and grants.
Visit the rdo.umn.edu website for more information. Questions and requests for the new office can be directed to [email protected] or the Office’s service request form.