Investments in research pay big returns for Minnesota

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Minnesotans have always been guided by values of hard work, perseverance and innovation. It is a familiar story — while past generations built this state and our nation in local mines, mills, farms and factories, many realized aspirations of economic mobility for the next generation by sending their children to college. This investment in education and Minnesota's public research university was often a ticket to the middle class and the state's economic vitality.

As the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and president of the University of Minnesota, we are committed to ensuring this story, emblematic of the American dream, endures. During a Twin Cities campus visit Oct. 13, we joined university leaders and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar to discuss the new innovations being led by the University of Minnesota. We are working to create pathways so that the ladders of economic mobility — built on education that provides access to critical and well-paid jobs — are within reach for every community.

Ensuring the health of those pathways means investing in research and innovation. If the U.S. wants to fortify these pathways, and rest assured that our nation will continue to shape the technology transforming our world, we must act decisively.

Though a bipartisan commitment to U.S. science and engineering research, development and education has endured for decades, funding peaked in 1964. Today, by prioritizing more avenues to science, engineering and tech industries, especially because such jobs typically entail higher wages and salaries, we can support successful futures for young Americans, reinvigorate regional economies and position the nation at the cutting edge.

The University of Minnesota has been the starting point for iconic inventions and innovations, from the pacemaker to disease-resistant crops in the last century to using AI to understand climate change's effects on agriculture and developing more sustainable plastics. Today, the U is one of America's leading research universities, ranking 14th among the nation's public universities in total research expenditures, including tens of millions of competitively earned NSF funding. The U's commitment to research and sustained investments from federal agencies like NSF fuel this legacy. Meanwhile, Minnesota has 15 Fortune 500 companies and is a fertile environment for innovation. Public-private partnerships will be key to rebuilding and maintaining the excellence we all expect from U.S. science and engineering.

Beyond improving industrial efficiency, innovations spark new startups and small businesses, and the transition of more research from the lab into the real world, where discoveries improve lives. Federal initiatives like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are preparing Minnesota's infrastructure for next-generation advancements with necessities like rural broadband. Similarly, the landmark, bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act is revitalizing American manufacturing. More than investing in semiconductors, it calls for advances in research and development across every field to keep U.S. companies competitive and local workforces energized.

This is crucial for Minnesota's manufacturers, 84% of whom confront challenges hiring skilled workers. The Minnesota Semiconductor Manufacturing Consortium was recently established to address workforce development shortfalls, sharing our mutual commitment to ensuring the next generation has the tools and skills to work, live and invent in their hometowns right here in Minnesota.

NSF is working to better connect our national and university labs and research facilities with job creators and to provide more career and entrepreneurial skills and experiences.

NSF's support has focused on intensified regional collaboration across sectors — governments, educational institutions, industries, labor unions and community organizations. This vision drives the NSF Regional Innovation Engine program (NSF Engines), which aims to invest in research and development activities across distinct geographic regions. This need is so great that nearly 700 concept outlines were submitted for consideration, spanning every state and territory of our nation, including Minnesota, which is home to two of the 16 semifinalists. NSF plans to announce the final investments in December.

As we navigate a competitive global landscape, with nations like China striving to outpace us in key technologies and countries like Singapore demonstrating how even small regional players can make significant strides, we draw upon the wisdom of our experience. American innovation, embodied in Minnesota's legacy of discovery, can uplift communities and inspire the world. It is up to us to leverage our strengths, accelerate the trajectory of American innovation and, with it, shape the American story for the 21st century. We are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring this story remains one of triumphant success.

Sethuraman Panchanathan is director, U.S. National Science Foundation. Jeff Ettinger is interim president of the University of Minnesota.