The University of Tulsa will play a leadership role in a major National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative aimed at strengthening Oklahoma’s research enterprise, increasing the state’s competitiveness for federal research funding and expanding opportunities for faculty and students across the innovation ecosystem.
The initiative, known as the Oklahoma Research, Innovation and Opportunity Network (ORION), brings together leading universities, industry partners, state agencies and community organizations to create a coordinated statewide research infrastructure capable of competing at a national scale. ORION includes The University of Tulsa, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State University, the College of the Muscogee Nation and numerous public and private-sector partners.
The initiative is organized around three strategic pillars: research development and administration, shared research infrastructure and workforce development. Together, these efforts will enhance Oklahoma’s ability to attract external funding, recruit and retain top faculty and students, strengthen industry partnerships and accelerate innovation-driven economic growth.
“Research universities have a critical responsibility not only to generate new knowledge, but also to build the talent and infrastructure necessary for innovation and economic prosperity,” said Andreas A. Polycarpou, dean of UTulsa’s College of Engineering & Computer Science. “ORION positions Oklahoma to compete more effectively for large-scale federal investments while creating new opportunities for students and researchers throughout the state.”
UTulsa to lead workforce development, student research engagement
As part of the initiative, UTulsa will lead ORION’s Workforce Development Core, leveraging the university’s nationally recognized strengths in undergraduate research, applied scholarship and industry engagement.
Michael Keller, associate dean of research for the College of Engineering & Computer Science, serves on the ORION Project Leadership Team and will help guide implementation of the statewide initiative.
“ORION creates an unprecedented opportunity to align Oklahoma’s research assets, facilities, faculty expertise and industry partnerships,” Keller said. “By operating as a coordinated research network, we can increase research productivity, improve competitiveness for major grants and create pathways that attract and retain top STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) talent.”
UTulsa brings unique strengths to the consortium, including 12 active industry-sponsored research consortia involving major national and international corporations. These longstanding partnerships provide a proven framework for translating research into economic impact while ensuring that workforce development remains aligned with industry needs.
Expanding a proven model for undergraduate research excellence
A central component of UTulsa’s contribution is the expansion of its highly successful Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge (TURC) into a statewide initiative.
Since 1997, TURC has provided immersive faculty-mentored research experiences that integrate discovery, professional development, entrepreneurship and community engagement. Through ORION, UTulsa and its partners will build the Oklahoma Undergraduate Research Challenge, greatly expanding access to transformative research experiences for students across the state.
Participating students will benefit from research stipends, microcredentials, industry engagement opportunities, advanced computing resources and access to specialized research facilities. The initiative aims to increase participation in undergraduate research while strengthening the pipeline of future researchers, engineers, scientists and innovators.
Strengthening Oklahoma’s research capacity
Beyond workforce development, ORION will significantly enhance research opportunities for faculty throughout Oklahoma.
The initiative will provide access to shared research facilities, advanced cyberinfrastructure, artificial intelligence computing resources, proposal development support, seed funding opportunities and mechanisms for establishing new multi-institutional collaborations.
At UTulsa, researchers will benefit from dedicated proposal development resources designed to support larger, more competitive federal and industry-sponsored proposals. By reducing barriers to collaboration and increasing access to research infrastructure, ORION seeks to accelerate growth in research expenditures, scholarly productivity and innovation outcomes.
A strategic investment in Oklahoma’s future
As the only comprehensive research university in northeast Oklahoma, UTulsa will play a critical role in extending these opportunities throughout the region while strengthening connections among higher education, industry and government.
The long-term vision for ORION extends beyond a single NSF investment. By creating a sustainable statewide research network, the initiative seeks to attract additional federal funding, increase research productivity, strengthen STEM workforce development and elevate Oklahoma’s standing among nationally competitive research states.
For UTulsa, ORION reinforces the university’s growing leadership in research, innovation and industry engagement while advancing its mission of providing students with transformative educational experiences grounded in discovery and impact.