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Research and Innovation Roundtable 

Collaborate with Campus Colleagues to Surface Big, Bold Research Ideas 

Spring ’25 RIR – From Risk to Resilience: Combatting Endemic and Zoonotic Microbial Threats

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), with support of Presidential Strategic Plan success funding, will host its second of two Research and Innovation Roundtables (RIR) for the 2024-25 academic year on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. The next roundtable is intended to foster collaborative team development around the overarching topic From Risk to Resilience: Combatting Endemic and Zoonotic Microbial Threats.

This latest RIR offers Iowa State researchers a unique opportunity to brainstorm big ideas and form collaborations with researchers beyond our immediate campus community with potential to compete for project or workshop seed funding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Animal Disease Center is supporting the spring event and researchers from the Ames-based facility will participate in the RIR. In addition, the OVPR anticipates participants from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. 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 From Risk to Resilience: Combatting Endemic and Zoonotic Microbial Threats RIR include:

  • Strategies to increase public awareness and education on zoonotic threats and prevention;
  • Investments in infrastructure needed to prepare for and implement mitigation practices for zoonotic outbreaks;
  • Economic consequences of zoonotic disease outbreaks on agriculture and trade;
  • The art and expertise of overcoming cultural sensitivities to build trust between scientists, policymakers, and rural communities regarding zoonotic disease risks;
  • The effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE) in preventing exposure and spread in animal care facilities and PPE advancements needed to reduce exposure and transmission risk among animal handlers;
  • The current and future role of early detection systems and novel technology needs for predicting, controlling, and preventing zoonotic outbreaks;
  • Animal health surveillance including early detection systems and how innovations in sensor technologies can impact disease surveillance;
  • Exploring diagnostics platforms;
  • Immune enhancement and vaccine development;
  • Modulating microbiome communities;
  • Developing innovative animal models;
  • How interdisciplinary networks can improve risk assessment models for zoonotic threats;
  • Animal husbandry improvements that could mitigate disease threats;
  • The role community-engaged research can play in improving zoonotic disease management; and
  • Identifying hurdles to data sharing and data analysis for endemic and zoonotic microbial threats (local, global challenges).

Effective exploration of the many varied facets of this RIR require the insights and expertise of basic and applied scientists, engineers, Extension specialists, designers, social scientists, and humanists, and could include collaborations with external stakeholders from the National Animal Disease Center, CSIRO, and 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.

 

The program was continued in the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, with the OVPR hosting RIR explorations on these overarching topics:

“We’re delighted with how our research community has engaged with the RIR program. More than 300 faculty, representing all the colleges within the university, have participated in its three years of existence,” 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 From Risk to Resilience: Combatting Endemic and Zoonotic Microbial Threats will foster the formation of teams and the creation of innovative ideas that will generate interest among extramural funding agencies.”

RIR Details: Spring ’25

TOPIC: From Risk to Resilience: Combatting Endemic and Zoonotic Microbial Threats

LOCATION: Memorial Union

DATE: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

TIME: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (a full lunch will be provided)

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 From Risk to Resilience: Combatting Endemic and Zoonotic Microbial Threats. These brief introductions will be shared with event participants as preview material prior to March 5. Here are Step-by-step instructions for completing your video. Please prepare your video using this PowerPoint template then upload the finalized file here.

During the event, RIR participants will engage in several facilitated breakout discussions and pitch project ideas. Additional time for self-assembly team identification 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, connection to the Strategic Plan, and matching funds.

Registration is open now through the deadline of Friday, February 21, 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.