05/27/2025—
Michigan Technological University has joined the Institute for Research on Innovation & Science (IRIS), a national consortium of leading research universities dedicated to using data to understand and demonstrate the public value of research investments.
IRIS, housed at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, maintains an IRB-approved data repository to collect and analyze research expenditure data from its member institutions. This data is used to generate university-specific and aggregate reports that illustrate the economic and workforce impact of research funding.
Through its membership, Michigan Tech will receive tailored reports showcasing how its research enterprise contributes to industries and regional economies, supports national and in-state vendors, and impacts the career trajectories of research staff and trainees. Additionally, Michigan Tech researchers will gain free access to IRIS UMETRICS, a de-identified research dataset that includes transaction-level information on over $192 billion in sponsored research funding across more than 100 campuses nationwide. The dataset, released biannually, has been used in publications of numerous books and peer-reviewed articles.
“Joining IRIS will empower Michigan Tech to tell a more complete story about the impact of the work we do in the Upper Peninsula and around Michigan,” said Andrew Barnard, vice president for research at Michigan Tech. “Our researchers do incredible, impactful work throughout the state and region, and we’re proud to celebrate that through the improved data visualization that IRIS can provide.”
Founded in 2015, IRIS membership includes both public and private universities throughout the United States. Michigan Tech is the fourth Michigan-based institution to join the consortium, alongside the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Michigan State University.
“We are pleased to welcome Michigan Tech to our effort to build a high-quality data resource that is ‘of, by, and for’ higher education institutions,” said IRIS Executive Director Jason Owen-Smith, a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan. “It’s essential that universities be able to measure and communicate the many ways people, communities, and businesses benefit from investments in research. With Michigan Tech’s participation, we can now tell an even more powerful story about how Michigan’s leading research institutions strengthen the state’s economy, workforce, and overall quality of life.”
IRIS also produces aggregate reports that highlight the collective impact of research universities. The All IRIS Spending Report for Fiscal Year 2024, released in February, revealed that consortium members contributed over $2.3 billion to the national economy through research-related purchases, benefiting 433 congressional districts. Members have used IRIS reports to communicate the economic and social impacts of research-related spending to university leadership, the public, and policymakers.
About IRIS:
The Institute for Research on Innovation & Science (IRIS) was established in 2015 with initial support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Ongoing funding comes from member contributions and externally sponsored projects. IRIS was created to expand the Universities Measuring the EffecTs of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Science (UMETRICS) initiative, developed in collaboration with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. IRIS is anchored by an IRB-approved repository housed at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, the world’s largest academic social science survey and research organization.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.