The Academic Infrastructure and Research Facilities Core aims to enhance research capabilities, workforce training, and economic development across New Hampshire by creating a statewide network of research facilities.
Expanding Access to Research Equipment & Expertise
A primary challenge in NH’s research ecosystem is the lack of a centralized access point for academic and industry researchers to locate and utilize existing research infrastructure. To address this, the core aims to:
-
This portal will catalog research equipment, high-performance computing resources, analytical tools, and technical expertise available across NH institutions.
-
It will serve as a one-stop access point for researchers at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), research institutions, industry professionals, and other stakeholders.
-
The voucher program will offer financial incentives for small businesses and academic researchers to use shared research facilities.
-
It will enable NH-based businesses and researchers to access specialized instrumentation and technical support at competitive rates, encouraging broader engagement with NH’s research infrastructure.
-
The core will host workshops, focus groups, and open houses to increase visibility of available resources
-
Stakeholder engagement will involve NH academic institutions, industries, non-profits, and government agencies to prioritize research needs and drive economic development
Strategic Investment in Research Infrastructure
Another major barrier to expanding NH’s research capacity is the individualized approach to acquiring research infrastructure. The core seeks to coordinate efforts across institutions to maximize impact and sustainability.
-
Using the asset portal and stakeholder feedback, the core will map available resources and identify areas where NH lacks critical infrastructure, such as advanced instrumentation, computing power, or specialized lab space.
-
These gaps will be evaluated in alignment with the NH Science & Technology (S&T) Plan to ensure investments support high-priority research and workforce needs.
-
The working group will create a long-term strategy for acquiring and maintaining shared research facilities, categorizing investments into short-term (1-3 years), medium-term (4-6 years), and long-term (7+ years) priorities.
-
The core will promote applications for federal and state research infrastructure grants, such as NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI), NSF CC, USDA Equipment Grants, and DoD DURIP.
-
The core will seek institutional investments, state funding, industry partnerships, and philanthropic contributions to support infrastructure growth.