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Research and Innovation Roundtable 

Collaborate with Campus Colleagues to Surface Big, Bold Research Ideas 

Research and Innovation Roundtable with illustrated lightbulb.

Fall ’25 RIR – Building Biosecurity: Protecting Plants from Pests and Pathogens

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), with support of Presidential success funding, will host its first of two Research and Innovation Roundtables (RIR) for the 2025-26 academic year on Thursday, November 6, 2025. This roundtable will be a virtual format and will foster collaboration and ideation around the overarching topic Building Biosecurity: Protecting Plants from Pests and Pathogens.

The fall RIR is a complement and extension, of sorts, of the session held during the 2025 spring semester: From Risk to Resilience: Combatting Endemic and Zoonotic Microbial Threats. Participating researchers from Iowa State will once again be presented with an opportunity to brainstorm big ideas and establish collaborations with colleagues from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). CSIRO is an agency of the Australian government that works with leading organizations around the world to support scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications.

A sampling of areas and issues that could be explored during the Building Biosecurity: Protecting Plants from Pests and Pathogens RIR include:

  • Novel technology needs for predicting, control of, and preventing pest or disease outbreaks;
  • Risk tools and data driven models;
  • Integration of early detection systems with existing frameworks;
  • Innovations for reducing prevalence and impacts of soil-borne pathogens and pests;
  • Obstacles in developing biological controls to mitigate pests and diseases;
  • Potential gene-editing solutions to mitigate susceptibility of crops;
  • Strategies for increasing public awareness, education, and compliance for recommended prevention and treatment;
  • Roles of advanced manufacturing for quick scale-up solutions;
  • Effectiveness of seed treatments; strategies for public awareness, education, and compliance of recommended prevention measures;
  • Infrastructure needs and roadblocks; and
  • Impacts of changing climates in influencing emergence and spread of pest and disease threats, among others.

A deep dive into the many varied facets of this RIR requires the diverse insights and expertise of basic and applied scientists, engineers, Extension specialists, designers, social scientists, and humanists, and could include collaborations with external stakeholders from CSIRO and possibly other institutions.

The OVPR launched the RIR program in the 2022 fiscal year as a platform for bringing together many different voices from across campus to share varying perspectives and areas of expertise leading to self-assembly of multidisciplinary teams competing for Strategic Plan success funding and/or Presidential Interdisciplinary Research funding. The inaugural program of FY22 addressed the topics of:

  • Environmental and Economic Security;
  • Agriculture Cybersecurity; and
  • Leveraging Iowa State University and University of Iowa strengths for a Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Innovation Hub.

Now entering its fifth fiscal year, the program has explored a wide range of topics and provided seed funding support for more than 20 projects:

“We’re delighted with how our research community has engaged with the RIR program. More than 350 faculty, representing all the colleges within the university, have participated over the previous four years,” said Vice President for Research, Peter Dorhout. “Our office works closely with our deans and associate deans for research to identify critical issues that impact society and capitalize on our university’s strengths as a research institution. The Iowa State Research community has a keen interest in working collaboratively to tackle real-world challenges that impact our society and that’s evident in the level of participation we’ve experienced with scholars and researchers across a multitude of disciplines.

“We also pay particularly close attention to potential external funding opportunities, and we use the RIR program to position our researchers to better prepare for those,” Dorhout added. “We’re confident the topic of Building Biosecurity: Protecting Plants from Pests and Pathogens will foster the formation of teams and the creation of innovative ideas that will generate interest among extramural funding agencies.”

RIR Details: Fall ’25

TOPIC: Building Biosecurity: Protecting Plants from Pests and Pathogens

LOCATION: Virtual – via Zoom

DATE AND TIME:

  • IOWA: Thursday, November 6, 2025; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. CST
  • AUSTRALIA: Friday, November 7, 2025; 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. AEDT

In advance of the event, participating faculty will be expected to prepare and present a one-minute (maximum) recorded introduction to their expertise and interest in the overarching topic Building Biosecurity: Protecting Plants from Pests and Pathogens. These brief introductions will be shared with event participants as preview material prior to November 6. Here are Step-by-step instructions for completing your video. Please prepare your video using this PowerPoint template then upload the finalized file here.

RIR participants will engage in facilitated virtual breakout discussions and pitch project ideas to compete for seed funding support. Additional time for self-assembly and adding to project teams will follow the breakout discussions. Instructions regarding Requests for Proposals for those interested in forming a team looking for funding will be shared at the event and resulting proposals will be evaluated by the event facilitators and funded based on interest, relevance, and connection to the Iowa State University Strategic Plan.

Registration is open now through the deadline of Friday, October 31, 2025.

NOTE: To help form diverse breakout discussion groups and more effectively facilitate topic ideation and team formation, participants will be asked to prioritize prompt questions at the time of registration. To streamline the registration process, you may preview and use this worksheet to prioritize your choices prior to completing the registration form.