Georgia Tech is committed to developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition, and is poised to take a leading role in the global research landscape.
I am proud to present the Phase 1 report of the Commission on Research Next (CRN). The commission launched in early 2020 with the goal of catalyzing research that matters. In alignment with the Institute’s strategic plan, the work of CRN strives to position the Institute to respond to the challenges of the future with innovation, expertise, creativity, and a dedication to improving human lives and the world at large.
The commission benefited from the work of more than 50 contributors from across Georgia Tech, led by co-chairs Tim Lieuwen, Regents Professor, David S. Lewis Jr. Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute; and Wen Masters, deputy director, Information and Cyber Sciences, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). The report is based on literature reviews, interviews with critical stakeholders, and information gleaned from institutional databases, national databases, and government reports. With Phase 1, the commission sought to identify and understand the internal and external forces, challenges, and networks that shape the university research ecosystem, examining how research universities engage with society, industry partners, government organizations, and other universities.
As we envision the research enterprise at Georgia Tech over the next 10 years and beyond, its central tenets must be service and connectedness if we are to truly realize the Institute as a leading global engine of innovation, entrepreneurship, and opportunity. We will help create knowledge as well as jobs and enable economic development, and we will be a crucial partner to industry and government as they solve problems and create policy to address complex challenges. We envision a future in which we continue to strive for inclusive excellence and truth, and leverage our scale and resources to address the most urgent challenges of our time.
The Commission on Research Next was created to develop the plan that will take us there. Our plan will be people-centered, value-based, and data-informed. Like our Institute’s strategic plan, this belongs to all of us, and it will be up to us to make it a reality.
We welcome and look forward to your feedback.
Sincerely,
Chaouki T. Abdallah
Executive Vice President for Research
Georgia Institute of Technology
—Chaouki T. Abdallah
Executive Vice President for Research
Georgia Institute of Technology