Research, innovation and knowledge initiatives continue to elevate Ohio State in 2023

December 15, 2023

For Ohio State's research and innovation community, 2023 was another eventful year with new discoveries and exciting announcements creating lasting impact for the communities we serve. Peter Mohler was appointed the permanent executive vice president for the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, one of our own was awarded the Nobel Prize and new records were set in research expenditures and commercialization income. As preparations continue for an even more impressive 2024, relive some of the exciting highlights from the past year:

Ohio State 11th in national ranking of research universities

Ohio State’s research and development expenditures exceeded $1.36 billion in fiscal year 2022, according to a National Science Foundation survey. The university ranked 11th among all universities in research expenditures in the NSF’s annual Higher Education Research and Development survey rankings, up one spot from the previous year. Ohio State is ranked just behind Duke and Stanford and ahead of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Harvard. Ohio State is 6th in the country in terms of industry-sponsored research, totaling nearly $142 million in FY 2022. Federally funded research is up to $636,902,000, a 14% year-over-year increase.

Agostini is awarded Nobel Prize, while Ohio State cheers

Pierre Agostini, professor emeritus of physics at Ohio State, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics with two of his colleagues for “for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.” The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized Agostini and his colleagues Ferenc Krausz from the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Anne L’Huillier from Lund University in Sweden. L’Huillier is a former student of Agostini’s. “Being awarded the Nobel Prize is the pinnacle for a researcher’s career,” said Peter Mohler, Ohio State acting president. “Ohio State is so proud of Prof. Agostini and his achievements, and we look forward to seeing his lab and the Department of Physics continue to expand on his groundbreaking work.”

Techstars and Ohio State launch accelerator program for entrepreneurs advancing software innovation

Techstars Columbus Powered by The Ohio State University will unlock new opportunities for early-stage entrepreneurs from across the globe to engage in Columbus’ vibrant startup community and lead future high-growth, innovative software solutions. This new program represents one of the core features of the new Center for Software Innovation, made possible by the historic, $110 million gift from the Timashev Family Foundation to Ohio State earlier this year. The program brings together Ohio State’s research expertise and entrepreneurial spirit with Techstars’ accelerator model that has supported the growth and success of thousands of companies.

Industry advisory board formed to support semiconductor growth in the Midwest region

The Midwest Semiconductor Network has formed an industry advisory board representing leading companies in the space. Industry partners will provide guidance and feedback across the 31-member, 5-state network of colleges and universities on strategies to address the industry’s growing workforce needs, including enhanced and new curriculum offerings, new experiential learning opportunities, innovative ways to help current professionals re-skill and opportunities working with K-12. Industry companies will benefit from direct, coordinated lines to talent and workforce development opportunities throughout network colleges and universities. The advisory group will also work to provide strategic direction on cutting-edge research that creates solutions industry needs now.

Ohio State's commercialization record 'a long time in the making'

Ohio State commercialization income grew to $18.8 million in fiscal year 2022, according to the latest data available from the national licensing trade group AUTM. Royalties, spinoff acquisition payouts and other income from faculty, staff and student discoveries is the final step in a process kicked off by those contacts – it can take as long as 20 years to refine the technology, protect the IP and get it on the path to market, said Ohio State's Kevin Taylor. “This was a long time in the making,” Taylor said in an interview. “Inherent in the revenue metric are years and years of hard work by many people and a little bit of luck.” Story via Columbus Business First.

Ohio State hosts grand opening for terrestrial science park

The lab, located in the Agricultural Engineering Building on the Columbus campus, marks the launch of the first-ever science park devoted to space research. The space park is a collaboration between Voyager Space, Ohio State, the State of Ohio, JobsOhio and One Columbus, and will house a replica laboratory of the Starlab space station developed by Nanoracks and associated facilities, enabling researchers to prepare, evaluate, validate and test spaceflight experiments, and conduct parallel research on the ground. “As the commercial space industry grows, the university is committed to supporting it. Creating opportunity is what we do best,” said Hiroyuki Fujita, chair of the university Board of Trustees. “Ohio State is one of the top destinations in the country for industry-sponsored research funding.”

Bill Gates is backing a secretive startup drilling for geologic hydrogen

Ohio State Startup Koloma co-founder Tom Darrah, who’s listed on 16 filed patents for finding and efficiently extracting hydrogen, is planning for a future where we drill for hydrogen just as we’ve historically drilled for oil and gas. Koloma is drilling its first wells in the Midwest, testing rock and gas samples from them at Darrah’s Columbus lab to determine which sites have the best hydrogen volume and purity. Right now, the world uses about 100 million metric tons of hydrogen annually. Most of it is made from natural gas, a process that emits carbon. The U.S. government thinks it’s got a bigger role to play as a carbon-free energy source and transportation fuel. Story via Forbes.

$22 million NIH award will accelerate ‘CRISPR’ research at UC Berkeley, Ohio State

The National Institutes of Health is incentivizing researchers to think beyond single applications of genome editing and to develop platform approaches that can be used to address multiple diseases. With a grant totaling $22 million from the NIH’s Somatic Cell Genome Editing program, researchers at UC Berkeley, Ohio State and UC San Francisco are developing new approaches to treat multiple neurodegenerative diseases as well as clinical tests to help new CRISPR-based therapies reach patients. Project I will utilize AAV-CRISPR techniques to address Huntington's disease, with Ohio State's Krystof Bankiewicz as primary investigator. This is the flagship/trailblazer project, which is most likely to yield an approved Investigational New Drug application within five years.

Ohio State opens Pelotonia Research Center

five people stand on the stage at the Pelotonia Research Center opening

The Pelotonia Research Center is the first new building to open at Carmenton, Ohio State's innovation district. This five-story, 305,000-square-foot laboratory building is equipped with new spaces, technologies and resources needed for researchers to work across disciplines to accelerate new discoveries. The space is named in recognition of Pelotonia’s collaboration with Ohio State. Since 2008, Pelotonia participants have raised more than $260 million for cancer research at Ohio State. The center’s location will be a benefit to collaborative, curiosity-driven and solutions-oriented research. Carmenton is connected to Ohio State’s academic and medical campuses.

Ohio State, Honda, business, state, federal leaders announce partnership for battery cell research center

Slated to open in April 2025, the new battery cell research and development center will accelerate the domestic development of battery cell materials and manufacturing technologies while providing an experiential learning setting for advanced battery technology workforce development. With $22 million in commitments to date, this project will include the renovation of a 25,000-square-foot facility in Ohio State’s innovation district into a dedicated battery cell research, production and education support space. Honda will serve as lead foundational partner for the project and has committed $15 million for the research and development center. The project was also endorsed by the State of Ohio and JobsOhio.