>Research and Innovation
Morgan State University
Research and Innovation
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law passed by the Maryland General Assembly and signed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in May 2017 designated Morgan State University as the state’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University. MSU’s accomplishments over the previous seven years had proven the designation well-earned. After decades of foundational work, transformative research achievements came in quick succession beginning in 2010, when the University gained a $3.1-million share of a $129-million U.S. Department of Energy grant to Penn State University to research energy innovation. Another major milestone was reached in 2011, when MSU procured its largest research contract to date: a $28.5-million, five-year agreement with NASA in a program titled GESTAR, Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research. Two years later, the University established its Division of Research and Economic Development (D-RED), which has primary responsibility
for research policy, oversight of the administration and management of grants and contracts to support faculty research activity, and oversight of responsible conduct of research education and compliance at Morgan. D-RED works with the University’s deans and department chairs to develop and support institutional and crossdisciplinary research initiatives and serves as the initial point of contact for organizations interested in connecting with the MSU research enterprise to explore possible collaborations. The organizational change that created D-RED has yielded tremendous benefits, as the division — and its previous incarnations — has overseen more than $314 million in awarded contracts and grants. Among the many highlights: in 2014, Morgan received a $23.3-million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch “A StudentCentered, Entrepreneurship Development” (ASCEND) Training Model to Increase Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce.” The competitive award was the
second-largest in the University’s history and the highest to date to Morgan from the NIH. Additional wins increased Morgan’s momentum in research in 2019: to list just a few, the NIH continued its support of ASCEND with $16.9 million in additional funding; NASA and USRA, Morgan’s lead partner in GESTAR, extended the University’s participation in that program for an additional five years, increasing the value of the contract to $40 million; and a fiveyear grant from the Silicon Valley-based financial technology (“fintech”) firm Ripple funded an academic partnership to advance research, technical development and innovation at MSU in blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital payments.
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