Current Oregon BEST Projects

RESEARCH INVESTMENTS PAY DIVIDENDS

Oregon BEST accelerates cutting-edge research and expands Oregon's shared-user network of university research expertise and laboratories through strategic investments in research and facilities that leverage additional federal, foundation, and industry funding. Connecting Oregon industry to this research capability generates public-private partnerships that rapidly transform research into new technologies, companies, and jobs.

MATCHING FUNDS ATTRACT OUTSIDE DOLLARS TO OREGON

Investing matching funds in competitive research proposals from Oregon faculty helps secure outside funding for Oregon universities from federal, foundation, and industry sources. A $35,000 Oregon BEST match helped OSU researchers leverage a $358,000 grant from the Bonneville Power Administration to demonstrate new technologies for storing power generated by wind turbines. Read more…

SEED FUNDING JUMP-STARTS GREEN RESEARCH

Past seed-fund investments by Oregon BEST have jump-started fledging university research projects and attracted follow-on funding from other sources. Below is a listing of Oregon BEST seed-funded investments that are leveraging additional research dollars and moving technologies toward commercialization.

Oregon BEST has invested $480,000 in 10 faculty research teams (see below) at Oregon universities whose work has the potential to fuel the state’s green building and renewable energy sectors.

The funding has been strategically invested to quickly focus research efforts and kick-start sustainability-related projects in Oregon that can be fast-tracked toward commercialization, leading to new companies, products and jobs for Oregonians.

The funding is intended to catalyze greater synergies between Oregon BEST’s partner universities (the Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon) and the state’s business community, government agencies and other organizations to stimulate economic growth in both urban and rural Oregon.

Oregon BEST now also has a Proposal Matching Program that helps key research projects leverage outside funding to Oregon universities.

Below are links to summaries of the seed-funded projects. Some of this funding has already attracted outside research funding — one of the main goals of Oregon BEST.