By Erin Rothwell, Vice President for Research, University of Utah
For 175 years, the University of Utah has been building something lasting: a tradition of discovery that compounds over time. Each generation of researchers builds on the breakthroughs of the last, turning knowledge into innovations that shape how we live, work, and thrive.
That’s why investing in research is never just about the present moment. It fuels the next 175 years of progress, discoveries that will strengthen our economy, secure our nation, and improve lives for generations to come.
Investing in Risk, Securing the Future
Research is one of the nation’s smartest investments. It grows the economy, strengthens national security, and trains the workforce that will solve tomorrow’s challenges. Federal research dollars support the high-risk, high-reward projects that industry alone cannot take on, projects that spark new patents, launch startups, and create entire industries.
Recent analysis from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) shows the stakes: cutting federal R&D by 20% would shrink the economy by nearly $1 trillion and reduce tax revenues by close to $250 billion. The lesson is clear, investment today is the only path to prosperity tomorrow.
As Governor Spencer Cox said during Utah Energy Week, “we have to stop being risk averse… as a country we have to take some swings…” Federal investment makes those swings possible. It de-risks discovery, ensuring bold ideas have a chance to become world-changing solutions.
Meanwhile, China is rapidly scaling its R&D investments. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has already warned that China leads in 58 of 64 critical technologies. Pulling back now would not just slow American innovation, it would mean ceding leadership in areas that will define the future economy and national security.
The choice is clear: sustained research investment drives prosperity, resilience, and global leadership.
Utah’s Role: Turning National Priorities into Action
The ITIF report underscores what federal research makes possible, fueling innovation, training talent, and securing U.S. leadership. At the University of Utah, those outcomes are already visible in the work we do every day. That’s why the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities recognizes us as an Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) university, a designation reserved for institutions that move discoveries from labs into the marketplace, fueling jobs and industries along the way.
As we prepare for our five-year IEP recertification, we are showing how federal dollars are shaping the future here in Utah. The Technology Licensing Office and Utah Venture Hub have built clearer pathways for discoveries to become licenses, revenue, and startups. Our new National Laboratory & Security Office (NLSO) connects U researchers directly with federal labs and security partners, aligning Utah expertise with national defense and energy priorities through partnerships such as MOUs with Sandia National Laboratories and Idaho National Laboratory.
Programs like the UURF Interdisciplinary Research Initiative bring faculty together across disciplines to pursue bold, federally aligned projects. And through I-Corps and SBIR/STTR, we are embedding entrepreneurship into research training and helping startups bridge the gap between lab discoveries and real-world markets. Even our physical spaces reflect this vision: Research Park is already a world-class center of innovation, home to more than 14,000 employees, 48 companies, and 81 University departments, all working at the intersection of research and industry. These are not isolated successes. They reflect a larger, intentional ecosystem guided by strategy and rooted in federal partnership, one that ensures every dollar invested in Utah generates discoveries, companies, and talent that benefit the entire nation.
Investing in People, Communities, and the Future
Research is not abstract. It’s national-scale computing infrastructure, breakthrough insights into focus and memory, a pioneering biosensor for glycine, and a University of Utah startup launching a smarter EV-charging platform.
Federal support helps our faculty and students take risks on bold ideas, and it gives those ideas the chance to grow into solutions that matter. That’s why we care so deeply about this work, because its impact extends far beyond campus.
For 175 years, research at the U has shaped lives in Utah and beyond. The next 175 will depend on whether we keep making those investments, not just in projects or labs, but in people, communities, and the future we all share.
