Auburn Research auburn.edu/research

Auburn University has been recognized as a Carnegie R1 institution and one of the nation’s top 100 research institutions in the NSF Higher Education Research and Development Survey, placing it among the nation’s elite research universities. Auburn earned these distinctions by reaffirming its commitment to bring practical solutions to our communities and world. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, Auburn researchers leverage discovery and innovation to solve real-world problems and bring cutting-edge technologies into the marketplace for the benefit of citizens in Alabama, the region and the nation.

Strategic Focus Areas

With an emphasis on how Auburn can help improve the world around us, plans for research growth concentrate on commitments for change in four focus areas.

1. Improve Health and Health Care in Alabama and Across the Nation

As Auburn University works to improve health and well-being in the state, region and nation, areas of focus include next-generation therapeutics, health disparities, precision medicine, chronic and infectious diseases and health care quality and cost.

Auburn’s Health Sciences Sector includes the Harrison College of Pharmacy’s Pharmaceutical Research Building and the College of Nursing building. Both facilities are located near the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), bolstering collaborations among VCOM medical students and Auburn nursing and pharmacy students. Auburn is also dedicated to fighting devastating diseases, including GM1 gangliosidosis, a fatal childhood disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Auburn is proud to be part of the first clinical trial of a GM1 gene therapy treatment administered to a child at the National Institutes of Health.

2. Create Intelligent Solutions

With an ever-changing technological landscape, Auburn is committed to being on the cutting edge of research that moves the world forward in areas such as automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, next-generation manufacturing, quantum computing and data science.

The National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME) was founded in 2017 through a collaboration between Auburn University (AU) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) leveraged by a signed AU/NASA Space Act Agreement. The center is also part of an Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, a collaborative effort among AU/NASA, ASTM International and Edison Welding Institute. NCAME aims to lead and foster effective collaborations amongst industry, government, academia, non-profit organizations and ASTM committees for ensuring a coordinated, global effort toward rapidly closing standards and workforce development gaps in additive manufacturing.

The Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems (ICAMS) at Auburn University is an important resource for small and medium manufacturers throughout the southeastern United States. Established in 2018, ICAMS offers the equipment, space and expertise to train and educate students and industry personnel in advanced manufacturing technologies. ICAMS’ efforts focus on reducing the barriers inhibiting the introduction of advanced manufacturing systems (e.g, the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies) in small and medium manufacturing operations.

Established in 2021, the Auburn University Transportation Research Institute provides a unified presence and strategic direction for promoting the renowned transportation-related research conducted within the academic departments and research centers in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Thanks to the reputation of the units under the institute’s umbrella — the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) and its affiliated asphalt test track, the Highway Research Center (HRC), the Alabama Transportation Assistance Program (ATAP) and the GPS and Vehicle

Dynamics Laboratory (GAVLAB) — extramural funding for transportation is greater than that of any other single topic within Auburn University’s research footprint.

3. Create a More Secure World Working to foresee and counter the latest cybersecurity and homeland security threats, Auburn’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, along with the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security and Canine Performance Sciences serve as key partners in making our world a safer place through innovation and discovery. A key component to this commitment is Auburn’s largest-ever research award, a $24 million contract by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to advance detection canine sciences and enhance operational threat detection capabilities through the Detection Canine Sciences, Innovation, Technology and Education (DCSITE) program.

4. Build Resilient Societies

Auburn also remains committed to research that will advance society in areas such as energy independence and resilience, environmental sustainability, including coastal ocean science, and preserving a sustainable food water supply.

The Auburn University Water Resources Center facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration among Auburn University faculty and staff on water-related research, outreach and instruction; conducts innovative research to find practical solutions for current and future water issues and empowers private citizens to become active stewards of water resources. Since 2008, Auburn has been a U.S. Environmental Protection Agencydesignated Center of Excellence for Watershed Management, enhancing Auburn’s efforts to address water quality and availability issues in Alabama and the region.

Innovation

Seven Auburn professors have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, and the university continues to commercialize its discoveries to benefit the public. In 2022, option and license revenue for Auburn inventions totaled over $2.2 million.

Together, Auburn researchers drive discovery to the marketplace, collaborating with industry and government to create new economic development opportunities. Helping facilitate these partnerships are the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation and The Park, Auburn’s worldclass, 171-acre research park. Its facilities include the MRI Research Center, featuring a powerful 7T whole-body scanner, and the Research and Innovation Center, opened in fall 2020.

With expertise aligned to meet societal needs, Auburn research continues to make an impact on our world, serving as a catalyst for growth and prosperity in Alabama and beyond.

FIRST CLASS MINDS.

FIRST CLASS FACILITIES.

Auburn Research Park is a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem combining a business and research environment that fosters creativity and innovation, embraces collaboration, and promotes partnership.

For more than a decade, The Park has been driving innovation –– from launching start-ups to supporting mature, knowledge and tech-based companies. As the southern gateway to the Auburn University campus, The Park’s research and entrepreneurial environment serves to connect business with awardwinning faculty expertise and talented students eager to gain real-world experience.

The Park is home to the New Venture Accelerator — roughly 7,000 square feet of dedicated collaborative space within the Research and Innovation Center that houses a team of resident experts who guide startups through everything from creating business models, identifying pricing strategies and pitching to investors. Auburn student and faculty entrepreneurs associated with the New Venture Accelerator are responsible for creating over 350 jobs, have raised over $60 million and have a combined market capitalization of over $130 million.

In 2022, the New Venture Accelerator extended its resources more broadly thanks to a $1.3 million Build to Scale grant jointly funded from federal and local sources and administered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Amplified by this funding, the services supporting entrepreneurial students and faculty on campus are expanding to the local community.

The Auburn metropolitan area, which includes Lee County and Opelika, is the fastest-growing region in Alabama outside of Huntsville. It is growing four times faster than any other area in the state with a predicted population of 180,000 by the year 2025. Corresponding growth in The Park (which included a child development center as well as a free-standing emergency department, ambulatory surgery center and breast health center) is part of a larger strategy to meet needs and contribute to the economy of our energetic and ever-expanding region.

The Park’s new master plan harnesses that growth to create community — a hub not only for knowledge and tech-based research, but also mixed-used spaces with opportunities for living, dining, shopping, recreation, and connection. Increasingly, The Park is an inclusive destination on the rise, poised to serve those ready to live, work, play, and discover.