1
Kansas Science + Technology Plan
2021
Endorsement from the chief research ocers
of Kansas research universities
Innovations in science and technology are critical for Kansans to provide basic
services for healthy and vibrant communities and to create economic stability and
growth. Kansas has several challenges, including environmental (extreme weather
events), social (changing demographics across the state), and technological
disruptions (automation and declining markets for traditional sectors). Kansas can
and will meet the future needs of our citizens by creating an educated workforce,
supporting research and innovation, partnering with our industries to translate
discoveries for economic growth, and leveraging our central location and natural
resources for an interconnected, global economy.
This Statewide Science & Technology Plan highlights how research at our state
universities provides a critical link between the Kansas Board of Regents and the
Kansas Department of Commerce strategic plans. Collectively, these plans create a
clear path of education, research and innovation, and economic growth. As the
Chief Research Ocers at the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and
Wichita State University, we endorse this plan, and we are committed to supporting
research and innovation across our state toward a sustainable and prosperous
future.
Simon Atkinson Beth Montelone Coleen Pugh
Vice Chancellor for Research Interim Vice President for Research Vice Provost for Research
University of Kansas Kansas State University Wichita State University
Contributors
Beth Montelone
Interim Vice President for Research
Belinda Sturm
Kansas State University
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
Associate Director, Kansas NSF EPSCoR
Coleen Pugh
University of Kansas
Vice Provost for Research
Wichita State University
Patricia Bergman
Director, Strategic Partnerships
Graphic design + layout
University of Kansas
Mindie Paget
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity,
Donna Ginther
Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Director, Institute for Policy & Social
Director of External Aairs
Research, University of Kansas
University of Kansas
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Endorsement from the Kansas Board of Regents
EPSCoR Committee
The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program
has become the centerpiece of the federal government’s eorts to ensure that all
states and regions benefit from its science and engineering (S&E) research and
education activities. States that historically receive a disproportionately low
percentage of federal research dollars are eligible to apply for EPSCoR funds
so that taxpayers in these states do not subsidize the research eorts of states
that historically receive a large share of those dollars. The program also aims to
improve the ability of EPSCoR-designated jurisdictions to compete for federal and
private-sector research and development (R&D) funding. The experience gained
from competing successfully in a merit-review process enables many scientists to
compete more eectively in the regular research programs of federal agencies.
The state of Kansas annually provides matching funds for the EPSCoR program
as well as the Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) program from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). The Kansas Legislature has assigned oversight responsi-
bility for the state’s matching funds to the Kansas Board of Regents, which, in 2011,
established the EPSCoR Program Review Committee. The committee is charged
with reviewing these proposals in light of Kansas R&D priorities and recommending
suitable projects to the Board for state matching funds.
We endorse this Science + Technology Plan and will work within our capacities to
support the R&D activities described herein.
Daniel Archer
Vice President
for Academic Aairs
Kansas Board of Regents
Bikram Gill
Distinguished Professor
Emeritus Kansas State
University
Donna Johnson
President & CEO
Pinnacle Technology Inc.
Allen Rawitch
Professor Emeritus
University of Kansas
Medical Center
Wade Wiebe (ex ocio)
Public Service Executive
Kansas Department
of Commerce
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Table of contents
Executive summary 5
1. Expanding on our vision 8
2. Alignment with statewide higher education + economic 9
development strategic plans
2.1 KBOR’s Building a Future 10
2.2 KS Department of Commerce Framework for Growth 13
3. Science + technology profile for Kansas 15
3.1 Kansas rankings for science + engineering statistics
15
3.2 Research funding
17
3.3 Kansas innovation profile
18
3.4 Recent investments in research capacity
22
4. Areas of strength + established research infrastructure 23
5. Areas to advance research competitiveness, 36
resilience + economic prosperity
6. 2021 recommendations 45
7. Conclusion 47
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Executive summary
This document serves as the Science and Technology Plan for the state of Kansas. It
outlines the state’s R&D priorities and will be used by the Kansas Board of Regents
(KBOR) to review EPSCoR proposals for matching-fund requests and to make
investments that will increase research competitiveness in strategic areas within
Kansas. This plan aligns with other statewide strategic plans (KBOR’s Building a
Future and the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Framework for Growth) aimed
at increasing the impact of higher education on Kansas families, businesses, and
the economy.
We have identified six broad areas of strength in which the research infrastructure
is suciently developed that the state can immediately capitalize on the science
and technology to transcend economic cycles. With respect to each area, we oer a
snapshot as well as an overview of the state’s investment, research infrastructure,
and economic impact. Although these are existing areas of strength, Kansas must
continue to invest in these areas, both to remain competitive and to translate
ongoing research into new industries. For science and technology fields in which
the state has an encouraging but shorter history, we outline key research-infrastruc-
ture investments. These investments are needed to build the research capacity that
will enable Kansas researchers to be highly competitive for federal R&D funding
and to inject the Kansas economy with emerging economic markets.
Areas of strength
1. One Health: Intersection of human,
animal & environmental health
2. Aviation & transportation
3. Agriculture & bioscience
4. Advanced manufacturing &
polymer science
5. Energy & environment
6. Security
Areas of opportunity
7. Smart infrastructure &
resilience
8. Precision agriculture
9. Digital transformation &
automation
10. Harnessing genomics
We identified two additional foundational areas that require infrastructure investment
to build science and t
echnology research capacity broadly across multiple fields.
Foundational infrastructure needs
1. Rural broadband and connectivity
2. Data literacy, data storage, and open data access to enable research
5
Our vision is to elevate, stimulate, grow,
and translate science and technology research
in Kansas to improve the quality of life and
economic resilience of its citizens.
To achieve this vision, our plan provides a clear set of recommendations for each
actionable vision-statement element. These recommendations provide a consistent
framework to guide the eorts of state oces with contributing roles in science
and technology, KBOR institutions, businesses, and researchers. By building
functional links and networks across Kansas agencies and KBOR institutions,
Kansas can excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, bringing
innovation and economic opportunity to the state.
Overarching recommendation
Establish a statewide Science, Technology & Economic Prosperity Council that
connects research initiatives at KBOR institutions to state initiatives.
Elevate the role of science and technology in improving the lives
of Kansans and their communities.
Recommendations
• Create better communication networks between scientists, engineers,
academics, and the state’s stakeholders.
• Create a network and a record of community-engaged research in Kansas
that demonstrate how Kansas scholars have partnered with communities.
• Tell the stories of how research discoveries have impacted Kansas communities.
• Foster partnerships with rural and urban stakeholders through social science
research to change the culture of science and technology mistrust that can
pervade both types of communities.
Stimulate discovery and innovation through education, partnerships,
and infrastructure investments that build on current areas of strength
and nurture emerging areas of opportunity.
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Recommendations
• Cultivate in-state talent, beginning with K-12. State metrics indicate that Kansas
is losing talent early.
• Recruit and retain a diverse research workforce.
• Foster diverse and interdisciplinary research teams by providing opportunities
to network across disciplines and research institutions.
• Create joint initiatives across KBOR institutions that leverage individual
strengths and resources.
• Collect industry and KBOR needs for research infrastructure improvements and
work collaboratively to pursue federal, state, and private funding to meet them.
Grow the economy by applying new technologies and expanding
access to information technology, resulting in vibrant and diverse
economic development that brings tangible benefits to the citizens
of Kansas and attracts new business to the state.
Recommendations
• Promote education, research, and infrastructure as keys to economic growth.
• Leverage university expertise and foster cooperation between the Department
of Commerce and universities to retain, expand, and recruit research faculty
and companies.
• Support eorts to expand equitable access to broadband — a foundational
need for science and technology applications.
Translate research results to address societal challenges by
encouraging the fabrication of patentable technologies through
support from entrepreneurial incentives and university-entrepreneur-
stakeholder communication and knowledge-sharing networks that
encourage better-informed partnerships and policies.
Recommendations
• Develop state policies that provide entrepreneurial incentives, including
proof-of-concept funds and financial support for small businesses.
• Expand innovation and research parks at KBOR universities.
• Create a statewide entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Educate faculty, sta, and students on translating basic research
discoveries into commercial enterprises.
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Expanding on our vision
Our vision is to elevate, stimulate, grow, and translate science and technology
research in Kansas to improve the quality of life and economic resilience of its
citizens.
The quality of Kansas’s institutions of higher learning places it in a special
position — the state’s three research universities each have specific strengths
that allow them to rise above their peers. Outstanding research in fields such
as cybersecurity, radar, pharmacy, and medicinal chemistry has garnered the
University of Kansas a National Cancer Institute designation, as well as
recognition as a National Center of Academic Excellence in both cyber defense
education and cyber research. Kansas State University provides the state’s hub for
agricultural research and animal health with its four U.S. Agency for International
Development Feed the Future labs and its recent designation as the site for the
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). Wichita State University boasts
a long history of aviation excellence and is home to the National Institution
of Aviation Research and the National Center for Aviation Training.
Areas of strength at Kansas’ regional universities and Washburn University
provide additional substance and regional impacts to the state’s science and
technology enterprise. Emporia State University is lauded for K–12 programs that
foster diversity in careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Pittsburg State University has an internationally recognized Kansas Polymer
Research Center that provides a hub for vegetable-oil–based polymer research.
Fort Hays State University is noted for its innovative eorts to create international
links, especially with China. Washburn University is noted for its School of Law.
Haskell Indian Nations University is recognized as a national center for Indian
education, research, and cultural preservation, oering degree programs in
elementary teacher education, American Indian studies, business administration,
and environmental science.
Solving society’s most challenging problems will require interdisciplinary eorts,
which can be encouraged and supported through actions that state oces, KBOR
institutions, businesses, and researchers take together. By building true links and
networks among all Board of Regents institutions, Kansas can excel in STEM and
bring innovation and economic opportunity to the state.
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Alignment with statewide higher education
and economic development strategic plans
This document aims to update the Kansas: Building an Environment for Science
& Technology (B.E.S.T.) for Innovation plan, originally written in 2012, to align
its vision and goals with statewide initiatives to increase the impact of higher
education and grow the Kansas economy.
This Kansas Science and Technology Plan has been informed by two statewide
strategic plans that were developed in 2020 and 2021. KBOR is the governing board
of the state’s six universities and the coordinating board for the state’s 32 public
higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, 19
community colleges, and six technical colleges). KBOR adopted a new strategic
plan, Building a Future, in June 2020 after two years of stakeholder engagement
of students, businesses, and higher education institutions across the state. Building
a Future makes key changes and enhancements of the previous plan Foresight
2020, which was in place for a decade. The new plan includes focused metrics and
promising practices that are designed to positively impact Kansas families and
businesses and to improve economic prosperity. The inclusion of these practices
and the emphasis on societal benefits makes the Regents’ plan unique nationally.
The second statewide strategic plan was produced by the Kansas Department
of Commerce. In the last decade, the Kansas economy has struggled. The last
comprehensive economic development strategy, the Redwood-Krider report,
was published in 1986. Governor Laura Kelly directed the Kansas Department of
Commerce to create a new strategy using a public process. During 2020, more than
2,000 Kansans were engaged to help guide the direction of the Framework for
Growth. This strategy has four pillars: Talent, Innovation, Community Assets, and
Policy. The plan also describes economic clusters that are geographically proximate
companies and institutions in a field, which are targeted growth areas to improve
productivity, foster innovation, and facilitate commercialization of new ideas.
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KBOR strategic plan, Building
a Future (adopted June 2020)
KBOR’s new strategic plan focuses
eorts on how higher education oers
Kansans the best opportunity to secure
a prosperous future. The plan is orga-
nized around three pillars:
Pillar 1: Helping Kansas Families
Pillar 2: Supporting Kansas Businesses
Pillar 3: Advancing Economic Prosperity
The strategic plan clearly links educa-
tion, research, and economic develop-
ment. “In addition to workforce training,
the Kansas public higher education
system supports businesses and entre-
preneurs through innovation, research
and partnerships that leverage the
unique capabilities of the system to
grow the state’s economy.”
Pillar 1 Helping Kansas Families focuses
on student access and success. As
Kansas becomes more diverse, public
higher education must be accessible to
underrepresented student populations.
There are three key areas of enrollment
gaps, which compare the overall demo-
graphics of Kansas to students enrolled
at two- and four-year institutions:
• Hispanic students are underrepre-
sented by 5.8 percentage points and
African American students by 4.0
percentage points.
• Pell-eligible students face enroll-
ment gaps ranging from 5 to 9
percentage points.
• Rural students have enrollment
gaps of 13.4 percentage points.
• Other minority demographics were
not reported by KBOR.
As students complete their degree,
the KBOR strategic plan aims to place
graduates in successful careers with a
sustaining wage, which is defined as
greater than 250 percent of the federal
poverty level. Building a Future will
track the percentage of graduates and
average wages by sector and will moni-
tor equity gaps that exist in graduation
rates between white, Hispanic, and
African American students. Overall,
practices and policies will be imple-
mented to close equity gaps in both
access and success.
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For Pillar 2 Supporting Kansas Business-
es, the strategic plan emphasizes the
role of universities and colleges in
developing a talent pipeline that meets
the demands of employers and the
state’s economy and provides research
and innovation capabilities for industry.
Under Foresight 2020, KBOR has part-
nered with the Kansas Legislature to
address workforce needs, which resulted
in three special initiatives: the Excel in
Career Technical Education program, the
University Engineering Initiative, and the
Nursing Initiative. The Governor’s Coun-
cil on Education has also identified eight
industries with a need for future workers
that also provide a sustaining wage.
Kansas higher education
must be accessible to
underrepresented
student populations.
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• The Excel in Career Technical
Education (2012) provides state-
financed college tuition for high
school students in postsecondary
education courses. In 2020, the
13,934 participating high school
students took 109,226 credit hours
and earned 1,631 postsecondary
credentials. This was an increase
of 3.5 times the baseline year.
• The University Engineering
Initiative (2012) included an initial
investment of $105 million by the
Kansas Legislature over 10 years to
ensure that three accredited engi-
neering schools (K-State, KU, and
Wichita State) increase engineering
graduates to meet industry demand
for new talent. The 2021 target goal
was 1,365 annual undergraduate
engineering degrees, and this goal
was first surpassed in 2018. In 2020,
these universities increased their
bachelor’s graduated to 1,698.
• The Kansas Nursing Initiative was
developed to address the growing
nursing shortage in the state. The
initiative is an annual appropriation
by the Kansas Legislature of $1.8
million to both public and private
nursing programs.
To measure progress in Pillar 2, enroll-
ment in these special initiatives will
continue to be monitored. Each KBoR
institution will also identify three to
five programs that meet the needs for
employers in their specific region, and
enrollment in these programs will be
monitored. The ultimate goal is to
increase graduates in high-demand,
sustaining-wage fields.
Target industries for talent pipeline
Advanced
manufacturing
including aviation
Agriculture
including animal
health
Architecture,
construction,
engineering
Business
and financial
services
Computer science
including
cybersecurity
Education Energy Health
sciences
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The ultimate goal is
to increase graduates
in high-demand,
sustaining-wage fields.
The Building a Future plan also aims
to support Kansas businesses by
providing university expertise for
innovation and research. The metric
to track progress in this area is
industry-sponsored research, which
has become increasingly important
in Kansas during the last decade.
From 2014 to 2019, federal funding
for research in Kansas at the three
research institutions (K-State, KU,
and Wichita State) increased by $37.2
million, while industry-sponsored
research increased by $62.4 million.
For Wichita State, industry-sponsored
research accounted for 63.7% of
sponsored research in 2019.
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For Pillar 3 Advancing Economic
Prosperity, the role of public universities
as intentional partners in growing the
Kansas economy is a central focus.
Each public state university has
developed programming to advance
the economies of their communities
and state, which are unique to the
economic development capacity of
each institution. Building a Future will
measure the impact of these plans for
at least two metrics: family sustaining
jobs created and capital investment
generated.
The Pillar also seeks to measure the
monetary benefits of higher education
for individuals and society. The Lumina
Foundation has reported that 60 to
70% of graduates with associate or
bachelor’s degrees report excellent or
very good health, which is 10 to 20%
more than those with only a high school
diploma. In addition, individuals with
associate degrees or higher are more
likely to volunteer and participate in
community organizations.
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The university core strengths for economic development were identified in the
following eight areas. As of 2021, each university has formed a working group to
develop five- and ten-year goals for this pillar.
University core strengths for economic development
Aviation + advanced
manufacturing
Biosecurity Cybersecurity Food +
ag systems
Medical
research
Polymers +
advanced materials
Rural
health
Small business
development
Kansas Department of Commerce
Framework for Growth (adopted
February 2021)
The Framework for Growth identifies
five tradable target sectors that the
state should play a more active role
in supporting and promoting:
1. Advanced manufacturing
2. Aerospace
3. Distribution, logistics +
transportation
4. Food + agriculture
5. Professional + technical services
These clusters were prioritized based
on the future growth projections,
level of specialization (or comparative
advantage) Kansas has in the sector,
and the potential impact on the
aspiration across employment growth,
wage growth, and impacts on lagging
regions.
The strategic plan outlines four pillars
to provide the framework for growth:
Talent, Innovation, Community assets,
and Policy. The plan highlights the role
of Kansas’ public-school systems
and higher education institutions in
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supporting this framework. “Specifically,
our Kansas Board of Regents schools
will be critical in driving job growth
and capital investment in Kansas
through cutting-edge research and
talent development.” The plan lists
objectives and outcomes for each pillar,
and several align with the KBOR
strategic plan:
• Talent: Bridge the skills gap
for in-demand and high-wage
occupations in target sectors.
• Innovation: Foster a vibrant
innovation ecosystem within and
across economic regions; improve
commercialization outcomes that
drive innovation and job creation;
support research and development
of disruptive technologies that
define future growth prospects;
establish “front doors” at each state
university to create easy access
points for partnerships with the
private sector to encourage new
business and product development.
• Community assets: Empower our
regions to develop the infrastructure
that will help “future proof” their
economies.
• Policy: Support the attractiveness
of our innovation ecosystem by
ensuring that incentives for
innovation are constantly evaluated
and updated, including updates
to incentives for research and
development activity.
Kansas Board of
Regents schools will be
critical in driving job
growth and capital
investment in Kansas
through cutting-edge
research and talent
development.
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Science + technology profile for Kansas
The National Center for Science & Engineering Statistics (NCSES) of the National
Science Foundation releases periodic updates to its Science & Engineering State
Profiles. Several key metrics from this data source, combined with metrics for STEM
education from the National Science Board, the U.S. Department of Education, and
Advanced Placement (AP) testing data, are discussed below.
Kansas ranks 50th in percentage of students taking high school AP courses and
40th in the number of STEM bachelor of science degrees. However, its rank improves
to 31st at the graduate level for the number of science, engineering, and health
(SEH) students. Kansas ranks 31st for individuals in the STEM workforce and 21st
for the percentage of high-tech businesses. Indeed, Kansas businesses rank 20th
in terms of the percent of business output devoted to R&D. Despite these metrics —
which indicate significant capacity for research, innovation, and economic growth
— Kansas ranks 49th in federal R&D as a share of state gross domestic product
(GDP) and 42nd in federal obligations for science and engineering R&D.
A significant performance gap exists between Kansas’s K-12 and undergraduate
science and engineering metrics and graduate, research, and workforce metrics.
Heightened focus and investment to increase STEM undergraduates will grow the
talent pipeline for Kansas businesses. Furthermore, additional EPSCoR and IDeA
research funding would help Kansas close the gap in federal R&D as a share of GDP.
Kansas STEM education + workforce Value Rank / 50 states
Population, 2019
1
2,913,000
36
Civilian labor force, 2020
1
1,497,000
33
8th grade math score, 2019 (% of students
at or above proficiency)
2
33%
26
Student taking AP courses in high school
3
14%
50
STEM BS degrees, per 1,000 individuals
4
21
40
SEH* graduate students in institutions granting
research-based graduate degrees, 2019
1
5,395
31
SEH doctorate recipients, 2019
1
409
30
SEH postdoctoral appointees in institutions
granting research-based graduate degrees, 2019
1
300
32
Individuals in STEM workforce (% of workforce)
5
4.26%
31
Employed SEH doctorate holders, 2017
1
5,300
33
15
Kansas research + development Value Rank / 50 states
Total R+D performance, 2017
1
$2,819,000,000 30
Federal obligations for science and engineering
R+D, all agencies, 2018
1
$232,807,000 42
Federal R+D (as % of GDP)
6
0.13% 49
State government R+D expenditures, 2019
1
$12,355,000 33
State R&D (per $1M of GDP)
6
$71.36 30
Business R+D (as % of business output)
6
1.77% 20
Kansas innovation Value Rank / 50 states
SBIR awards, 2019
1
17 36
Utility patents issued to state residents, 2019
1
788 31
High-tech business (as % of all businesses)
7
8.65% 21
*SEH = science, engineering and health
1. National Science Foundation Science & Engineering State Profiles,
https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/states/.
2. Elementary School Testing Data: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences,
National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),
2019 Mathematics Assessment.
3. AP test data: National report from https://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/
participation/ap-2020
4. STEM Degrees: National Science Board. Science and Engineering Indicators: State Indicators.
Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators/states/indicator/
se-associates-degrees-per-1000-18-24-year-olds. Accessed June 18 2021
5. Workers in Stem Occupations: National Science Board. “Individuals in Science and Engineering
Occupations as a Percentage of All Occupations.” Science and Engineering Indicators: State
Indicators. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators/states/
indicator/se-occupations-to-all-occupations. Accessed on June 18 2021.
6. R&D Data by State: National Science Board. Science and Engineering Indicators: State Indicators.
Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators/states/indicator/
rd-performance-to-stateGDP. Accessed on June 18, 2021.
7. High-Tech Establishments: National Science Board. Science and Engineering Indicators: State
Indicators. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators/states/
indicator/high-set-to-all-business-establishments. Accessed on June 18, 2021.
Data citations
16
Research funding
KBOR’s Building a Future strategic
plan tracks ho
w much of the research
enterprise is supported by federal
funding and how much is sponsored
Kansas universities
are well positioned
to continue expanding
research activities.
by industry partners. The KBOR and
Kansas Department of Commerce
plans both rely on industry-sponsored
research as key metrics for economic
development, and a key goal of the
federal EPSCoR programs is to increase
federal R&D funding per capita.
Total R&D funding for the research
universities in Kansas is reported
each year in the Higher Education
Research and Development (HERD)
survey. From 2014 to 2019, federal
R&D funding in Kansas increased by
$37.2 million, and industrial R&D
funding increased by $62.4 million.
Increases in R&D expenditures reflect
the emphasis on innovation at KBOR
universities and the increased research
capacity established over the last
decade. Kansas universities are well
positioned to continue expanding
research activities.
2014
Institution Federal R+D Business R+D Total R+D
University of Kansas $165,442,000 $12,704,000 $301,534,000
Kansas State University $67,438,000 $5,058,000 $184,945,000
Wichita State University $10,424,000 $30,942,000 $58,859,000
All research universities $243,304,000 $48,704,000 $545,338,000
2019
Institution Federal R+D Business R+D Total R+D
University of Kansas $169,694,000 $22,073,000 $352,643,000
Kansas State University $81,269,000 $7,099,000 $218,622,000
Wichita State University $29,634,000 $82,008,000 $128,795,000
All research universities $280,597,000 $111,180,000 $700,060,000
It is important to celebrate the success of R&D expansion overall. However, the
NCSES S&E state profile shows that Kansas’s federal R&D lags behind state and
business R&D (page 15). Kansas currently ranks 49th in federal R&D as a percentage
of GDP. In this plan, we provide strategies to increase federal R&D in Kansas.
17
Kansas innovation profile
The Economic and Prosperity Pillar of KBOR’s Building a Future strategic plan
focuses on job creation and bringing capital/investment to Kansas. The KBOR
universities have developed programs, often leveraging federal dollars, that
provide entrepreneurial infrastructure support to assist faculty and researchers
in translating their science- and technology-development eorts into products
for the marketplace.
Developing entrepreneurs (people)
Entrepreneurship begins with people. Researchers are trained to conduct research
and disseminate knowledge. Faculty and sta must be given the tools to also
translate their discoveries into patents and startup companies. Students must be
educated early in their academic careers to think about innovation and how an
entrepreneurial spirit would allow them to pursue a startup or further their
professional careers. Kansas universities are investing in this training.
K-State’s Biosecurity Research Institute is the home
of comprehensive infectious disease research to
address threats to agriculture and public health.
Kansas State University
K-State Innovation Partners is committed
to collaborating with universities,
industries, and communities to deliver
a streamlined mission of corporate
engagement, technology commercializa-
tion, and economic development under
one roof. Driven by innovation, this
structure serves K-State, community
partners, and industry in one comprehen-
sive unit. K-State and the Manhattan
community share a special relationship
that has been nationally recognized
for its highly collaborative partnership
to advance the region’s economic
development. Knowledge-Based
Economic Development (KBED) is a
partnership between K-State and
community entities designed to leverage
the university’s assets to attract, retain,
and grow knowledge-based businesses
in the region.
18
Left: Frontiers: KU Clinical & Translational Science Institute at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Right: College of Innovation & Design at Wichita State University.
University of Kansas
KU’s NIH-funded accelerator program,
the Sustainable Heartland Accelerator
Regional Partnership Hub (SHARPhub)
provides education, networking, and
mentoring opportunities to entrepre-
neurs across a five-state central region
(Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North
and South Dakota). In addition, the KU
Medical Center is home to the Frontiers:
KU Clinical & Translational Science
Institute, which seeks improvements in
healthcare and public health, stimulates
new ideas, and supports the researchers
of today and tomorrow. Supported by
a five-year, $25 million grant from
the National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences of the National
Institutes of Health, Frontiers is part of
the Clinical and Translational Science
Awards Program, a national network
of medical research institutions that
work together to speed the research
process from scientific discovery to
patient care.
In addition to training faculty and
researchers, the School of Business
and the Institute for Policy & Social
Research jointly lead the U.S. Economic
Development Association-funded KU
University Center that emphasizes
entrepreneurship and provides a broad
array of student-focused educational
programming and business-support
opportunities. In addition to these
entrepreneurial, education-based
programs, KU actively pursues industry
partnerships to enhance research
collaborations that solve industry
problems, supporting and often
accelerating industry growth.
Wichita State University
WSU is home to an NSF I-Corps Site
and supports entrepreneurs across the
state as they develop their business
ideas to solve problems, support
customers, and target market needs.
In addition, WSU recently launched the
College of Innovation and Design (CID),
which provides students the requisite
skills to create, develop, launch and
repeat, either for their own ideas or
for applying innovation skills within
an existing organization.
19
Providing innovation space + support (infrastructure)
Novel research conducted in university settings is often licensed to companies,
which may be startups or established companies. Universities can support
commercialization and industrial R&D by providing incubator space and business
support for researchers and entrepreneurs. Through local innovation parks,
businesses are launched, and high-tech companies are recruited to communities to
access the talent and resources unique to these technological and entrepreneurial
ecosystems. Our universities have invested in this infrastructure.
Kansas State University
The K-State campus has Biological
Safety Level 3 (BSL-3) agriculture
laboratories, as well as NBAF, the
National Bio and Agro-Defense
Facility, a BSL-4 facility, directly
adjacent to campus. These and other
unique facilities at K-State create an
environment focused on delivering
innovations to improve global health,
trade, and security through partner-
ships between academic units and
industry.
K-State aggressively leverages its global
preeminence to advance the university’s
land-grant mission and create novel
pipelines of new direct jobs and direct
investments coming into the state. The
University has unparalleled expertise
and facilities to address biotechnology,
health security, and supply-chain
challenges, as well as capabilities that
can help entrepreneurs develop and
launch diverse businesses.
The Edge Collaboration District,
located along the north campus
corridor, is a partnership between
K-State and the Kansas State University
Foundation to inspire industry
collaboration. The Edge is where
industry, research and talent come
together to advance innovations that
impact the economies of the region
and the state. The Edge integrates
cutting-edge research and talent, and
its proximity to NBAF promotes
development of partnerships that
can leverage university, district, and
NBAF resources. The Edge currently
hosts more than 10 partners that are
taking advantage of the research
and talent collaborations.
Pat Roberts Hall houses the $54 million Biosecurity
Research Institute, which helps to ensure a safe food
supply and prevent major economic losses to the
agriculture and food industries.
20
Pittsburg State University KU Innovation Park WSU’s National Institute of Aviation Research
Pittsburgh State University
PSU’s University Strategic Initiative
(USI) unit is home to Enterprise PSU
(formerly the Center for Innovation
& Business Development) and the
Kansas Polymer Research Center, which
is internationally recognized for its
chemistry and material-science work.
In addition, the USI also hosts the
Block 22 project, located in downtown
Pittsburg, which provides business
incubation, co-working space, student
housing and event/education space.
The USI’s goal is to create a live-work-
play environment that brings together
university resources to assist external
partners in the region.
University of Kansas
The KU Innovation Park (formerly
known as the Bioscience & Technology
Business Center, or BTBC) presents
an unparalleled and transformative
economic-development opportunity
for Lawrence, Douglas County, and the
state of Kansas. The park builds on
more than 10 years of BTBC success
and, at its core, will be a dense concen-
tration of innovation-related buildings,
infrastructure, services, and program-
ming designed to support a broad mix
of startup companies, private industry
firms, government agencies, and KU
research activity. The park, supported
and strengthened by complementary
mixed-use developments and amenities
within and surrounding it, will attract
and anchor innovative firms and highly
skilled workers, diversifying and broad-
ening the regional economic profile.
More broadly, the KU Innovation Park is
the embodiment of an entire communi-
ty committed to innovation and eco-
nomic development and represents a
long-term strategic investment in its
sustainability, resilience, and future
growth. The park has supported more
than 55 companies and state/federal
agencies during the past 10 years. It has
more than 40 current tenants and has
created more than 400 jobs.
Wichita State University
WSU’s Innovation Campus brings
together research facilities, maker-
spaces, research centers, and students
to support accelerating innovation to
the marketplace. Home to nearly a
dozen companies, the Innovation
Campus also creates a rich research
and learning environment with easy
access to the National Institute of
Aviation Research. NIAR provides tools
and resources to validate and certify
aviation designs. NIAR’s test-lab
facilities assist with design validation
for materials, components, systems,
and full airframes.
21
Recent investments in research capacity
Kansas University Engineering Initiative
$105M
initial 10-year
investment in 2012
1,365
initial annual goal for
undergraduate degrees
1,698
revised goal after passing
original target in 2018
2012Baseline 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 goal
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
KSU
KU WSU
Kansas engineering graduates
University engineering facilities
WSU
John Bardo Center
143K sq. ft.
2017
KSU
Engineering Hall
108K sq. ft.
2016
KU
LEEP2
110K sq. ft.
2015
22
Areas of strength + established
research infrastructure
Kansas’s many areas of established research capacity and strengths provide a
firm foundation for future science and technology development and innovation.
In this section, we oer snapshots of the areas in which the state has a history
of scientific expertise and infrastructure. This plan provides an overview of the
state’s investment, research infrastructure, and economic impact in each area and
recommends how to sustainably build upon those inherent strengths to transcend
economic cycles.
1. One Health: Intersection of human, animal + environmental health
2. Aviation + transportation
3. Agriculture + bioscience
4. Advanced manufacturing + polymer science
5. Energy + environment
6. Security
23
One Health:
Intersection of human, animal + environmental health
The One Health concept maintains that as companies that enhance the state’s
human health is closely connected to economic base. In addition, healthcare
animal health and our shared environ- industries understand and build
ment. This concept has driven signifi- o of the Kansas City area’s animal-
cant human healthcare innovations, health corridor, which includes the
underscoring the importance of under- National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
standing the intersection of human, being built in Manhattan, Kansas.
environmental, and animal health. These Food-animal and food-crop health are
innovations enhance workforce produc- also critical for Kansas’s agricultural
tivity and can provide the basis for economic well-being and, indeed,
research centers that draw federal the nation’s.
recognition and funding as well
Source: Centers for Disease
Control & Prevention
24
State + regional resources
• EPA Region 7 Headquarters in Kansas City
• USDA Economic Research Service Federal Headquarters in Kansas City
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security NBAF under construction in Manhattan
• Kansas Nursing Initiative (Kansas Legislature annual investment of $1.8 million
to both public and private nursing programs)
Major research infrastructure
• KU Medical Center has 25 research institutes and centers and three campuses
(Kansas City, Salina, and Wichita)
• KU’s Cancer Center received National Cancer Institute Designation from the NIH.
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center for Emerging & Zoonotic
Animal Diseases, launched in 2004, is a nationwide consortium of more
than 29 university, government, and industry partners led by K-State
• Eight NIH-funded Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBREs)
• Life Span Institute (KU) has served Kansas families and communities
for 60 years
State economic impact
It is imperative that Kansas continues these successes, expands its medical
research capabilities, and attracts more health-oriented businesses, all of which
have positive impacts on economic growth and the health and prosperity of
Kansans. Private companies and university startups have been created or have
expanded near the research universities.
It is imperative that Kansas continues
these successes, expands its medical
research capabilities, and attracts more
health-oriented businesses.
25
Aviation + transportation
America’s transportation infrastructure is
both a critical resource and a source of
concern. A low population and large dis-
tances between population centers have
made Kansas a preferred testing ground
for transportation innovations, particular-
ly in aviation. Kansas has been a leader in
aerospace engineering and manufacturing
for decades. Cessna, Beech, and Boeing
have maintained production lines in the
state since the 1940s and ’50s. More re-
cently, Kansas researchers have led eorts
to design and use unmanned aerial systems
(UAS). UAS-related research advances the
understanding of structure-sensor interac-
tions, investigates the eects of materials
and environments on performance, and ul-
timately develops low-speed, low-altitude,
and lightweight vehicles with increased
autonomy. UAS expertise has become a
critical tool for environmental-sensing and
security radar applications.
Kansas researchers also focus on ground
transportation and have maintained long-
term research partnerships with the state
and regional Departments of Transporta-
tion (DOT). These relationships have
advanced physical infrastructure, driver
and worker safety, and mobility of rural
Kansans. The evolution and deployment
of connected and autonomous vehicles
(CAV) and the infrastructure to support
these vehicles will transform the safety,
economic, and personal-mobility opportu-
nities that Kansas residents, businesses,
and visitors experience. Kansas researchers
will play a critical role in developing auton-
omous vehicles and the infrastructure to
support them, including the requisite data
and information-technology networks.
Top: Unique to the region, the KU’s anechoic chamber
supports R&D of remote-sensing technologies while also
serving as a teaching laboratory. Bottom: Linda Harl, an
aerospace engineering student at Wichita State University,
manages the Aerospace Projects and Prototyping Lab
in John Bardo Center, paid by the NASA in Kansas Jump
Start program.
26
State + regional resources
• Wichita is an aircraft manufacturing hub
• Federal Aviation Administration Central Region oce in Kansas City
• KDOT’s FAA Drone Integration Pilot Program, one of 10 regional eorts
conducting advanced UAS operations to yield sucient data for rule-making
that will result in access to new technologies for the nation
• KU, K-State, and WSU are three core partners in the FAA Center of Excellence
for UAS Research, ASSURE (Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research
Excellence)
• KU is a member of the Midwest Transportation Center, one of 10 regional
U.S. DOT regional centers
Major research infrastructure + programs
• National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at WSU. NIAR is the largest
university aviation R&D institution in the United States
• National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Space Grant Consortium
(WSU)
• NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (WSU)
• Transportation Centers (KU, K-State)
• Garrison Flight Research Laboratory (KU) provides resources for developing
intelligent vehicle systems for the flight research of both piloted and unmanned
air vehicles
• Infrastructure Research Institute (KU) performs research and develops methods,
structures, and products to enhance infrastructure needs
• Applied Aviation Research Center (K-State)
• Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), an NSF-funded Science &
Technology Center founded in 2005 at KU
• KU Electromagnetic Anechoic Chamber. Unique to the region, the CReSIS
Anechoic Chamber supports R&D of remote-sensing technologies while also
serving as a teaching laboratory. The anechoic chamber is available for external
hire and provides a unique infrastructure for regional industry partners
Economic impact to the state
Further development of this research capacity will be critical for keeping Kansas
aligned with the aerospace industry, specifically with shifts in the aerospace value
chain, including guided missiles, space vehicles, aircraft engine parts, and UAS.
In addition, many of the technologies explored at Kansas institutions apply to other
fields, including the biomedical, wind energy, automotive, marine, space, and rail
sectors. Supporting research around these technologies will help diversify the
state’s manufacturing capabilities and make Kansas’s manufacturing sector
more robust.
27
Agriculture + bioscience
From the moment food security
became a matter of national concern,
Kansas has been one of the nation’s
great resources, for both agricultural
production and innovation. As agricul-
tural research evolves into the realm of
biotechnology, Kansas remains at the
center of guaranteeing the health
of America’s food supply and the
economic health of its produce
and livestock providers.
University researchers have
developed strategies that will result
in transformed, sustainable, and
adaptable food and agriculture
systems to create Kansas jobs and
attract direct capital investment into
the state. These strategies will result
in innovations such as nontraditional
grain (e.g., durum) and water-conserv-
ing crop (e.g. cotton, sorghum)
solutions that stimulate value-added
opportunities critical to economic
development in Kansas. Kansas’s food
and agriculture systems will align
with the changing values and needs
of consumers and other food and
agriculture system stakeholders.
Kansas’s food and
agriculture systems will
align with the changing
values and needs of
consumers and other
food and agriculture
system stakeholders.
28
State + regional resources
• USDA Federal Headquarters in Kansas City
• The Land Institute, a not-for-profit research institute in Salina working
to develop sustainable food production methods
Major research infrastructure + programs
• Wheat Genetics Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (K-State)
• Four Feed the Future Innovation Labs (K-State)
• Global Food Systems Initiative (K-State)
• K-State Research & Extension network, with oces in all 105 Kansas counties
• Konza Prairie Biological Station (K-State)
• Kansas Biological Survey (KU)
• KU Field Station
Economic impact to the state
Agriculture is the leading economic engine in Kansas, directly driving 42% of
the Kansas economy. Food processing and manufacturing, pet food and allied
industries, and other value-added areas are growth areas for the state beyond
the traditional sectors.
Researchers monitor test plots at the KU Field Station, a division of the Kansas Biological Survey at the University
of Kansas. The Field Station’s mission is to foster scholarly research, environmental education and science-based
stewardship of natural resources.
29
Advanced manufacturing + polymer science
Development of advanced materials, including biomaterials and nanomaterials,
is a critical building block of engineering applications in a variety of fields, from
aerospace to bioscience. Our S&T plan builds upon existing strengths in materials
development at Kansas universities. Several research centers are devoted to
biobased polymer development, to replace petroleum-based materials, composite
manufacturing and repair is critical for aviation technology.
Advanced manufacturing
technology is rapidly changing
with advances in 3D printing
and digital manufacturing that
use big data, cloud technology,
advanced analytics, advanced
robotics, and other digital tools.
The Kansas Framework for Growth
targets advanced manufacturing
as a high-growth area in which
Kansas is well-positioned to
compete, but it acknowledges
that workers will need suitable
education to support these
digital-manufacturing and
automation endeavors.
Major research infrastructure + programs
• Center for Biobased Polymers by Design (K-State)
• Kansas Polymer Research Center (Pittsburg State)
• Technology Development Institute (K-State)
• National Center for Advanced Materials Performance at National Institute
for Aviation Research (NIAR, WSU)
• WSU Smart Factory
• Supply Chain Management Graduate Program (KU)
Economic impact to the state
Wichita ranks #1 in manufacturing jobs as a percentage of all jobs for the 100
largest US metro areas. Kansas can leverage its universities’ materials-science and
advanced-manufacturing strengths to develop a diverse portfolio of materials
development centers and to educate future workers for digital manufacturing
applications.
Researchers at the Kansas Polymer Research Center at Pittsburg State
University promote economic interests by delivering advanced technology
and unique technical services in chemistry and material science with a
specialization in polymer research.
30
Energy + environment
Two of the world’s most challenging
problems are the accelerating impacts
of global climate change and the
pressing need for clean water and
energy to support the world’s growing
population. These challenges are
closely interwoven in terms of cause
and eect. Understanding these
phenomena and their consequences is
critical to managing natural resources,
growing economies, enhancing human
health, and improving quality of life.
Solutions to these challenges can
be obtained only by concerted,
comprehensive research eorts to
understand and address the looming
issues of changes in climate and the
need for sustainable food, energy,
and water sources.
Kansas has historic strengths in
studying the state’s ecology and
natural resources. This focus on
understanding grassland ecology led
to the establishment in the 1970s of
the Konza Prairie Biological Station, an
8,000-acre outdoor living laboratory
funded in part by the National Science
Foundation’s Long Term Ecological
Research (LTER) program. The state
also houses the Kansas Applied
Remote Sensing (KARS) program
at the University of Kansas, which,
with a commercial partner, conducts
research on environmental and
agricultural remote-sensing technology
applications. KU is also the lead
institution of the Center for Remote
Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), a
31
Science and Technology Center estab-
lished in 2005 by funding from the
National Science Foundation to develop
new technologies and computer models
to measure and predict the response of
sea-level change to the mass balance of
ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
KU also houses both the Kansas Geo-
logical Survey and the Kansas Biological
Survey, which provide open-access
data for Kansas, including critical
water-resource data, including the
groundwater levels in 1,400+ High
Plains Aquifer wells.
Kansas researchers have always
supported the energy sector with
research programs such as the Tertiary
Oil Recovery Program. Ongoing work
aims to develop renewable energy
and to mitigate the environmental
impacts of energy production. The
Kansas Geological Survey has been
investigating the state’s subsurface
geology and industrial infrastructure
to determine the safety and viability
of injecting carbon dioxide (CO2)
from industrial sources, such as ethanol
plants located on the map, into
underground rock formations for long-
term storage and to recover hard-to-
reach oil. Carbon capture, utilization
and storage (CCUS) is a process being
developed to reduce the amount of
CO2 released into the atmosphere.
Over the past 10 years, the KGS has led
or played a key role in five large-scale
CCUS projects funded by the U.S.
Department of Energy. Working
with private partners, the KGS has
successfully injected CO2 for enhanced
oil recovery in the Wellington Field in
Sumner County south of Wichita and
the Hall-Gurney Field in Russell County.
Kansas researchers are participating
in all five CCUS focus areas: policy and
law, data management, data analysis,
economics, and outreach.
In projects funded by the National
Science Foundation Established Pro-
gram to Stimulate Competitive Re-
search (EPSCoR), Kansas researchers
are addressing environmental and
energy issues with a fresh, integrative
perspective. KU has partnered with
West Virginia University to recover and
reuse saline produced with oil produc-
tion. Ongoing research also seeks to
understand microbial ecology in water,
plants, and soils, expanding the ecologi-
cal expertise of Kansas to include
next-generation sequencing tools.
Several funded research projects have
strong components of information
infrastructure, diversity (including a
partnership with Haskell Indian Nations
University in Lawrence), workforce
development, and collaboration with
out-of-state and international research
institutions, which are vital to success.
A scenario showing placement of potential pipelines used to transport
CO2 from ethanol plants to enhanced oil recovery projects (gray dots).
Initially, ethanol production capacities range from 40 to 350 million
gallons per year (small to large orange and red dots). Source: State
CO2-EOR Deployment Work Group. Data from DOE, Great Plains
Institute and KGS
32
State + regional resources
• Precipitation gradient across Kansas enables ecological research across several
biomes
• EPA Region 7 Headquarters in Kansas City
• U.S. Geological Survey oce in Lawrence
Major research infrastructure + programs
• Konza Prairie Biological Station, an 8,000-acre outdoor living laboratory
funded in part by the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological
Research (LTER) program
• Kansas Applied Remote Sensing (KARS) program (KU)
• Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum (KU)
• Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), a Science and Technology
Center established in 2005 with National Science Foundation funding (KU)
• Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC), established in 2003
with funding from the National Science Foundation (KU)
• Kansas Geological Survey (KU)
• Kansas Biological Survey (KU)
• KU Integrated Carbonate Consortia (KICC) is focused on fundamental
and applied carbonate research with industry relevance (KU)
• Haskell Environmental Research Studies Institute (KU-Haskell)
Economic impact to the state
This S&T plan recognizes the value of a strategy that incorporates all the state’s
resources, from the “grassroots” agricultural level in evaluating climate change
in Kansas, to opportunities for the more ecient use of biofuel crops, to new
technologies that co-produce higher-value products with energy as a significant
economic driver for renewable energy adoption.
This S&T plan recognizes the value of a
strategy that incorporates all the state’s
resources.
33
Rendering of National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility under construction in Manhattan.
Courtesy of NBAF Design Partnership
Security
New security breaches make the
news on an almost-daily basis. These
breaches aect our lives and have the
potential for significant financial impact
on the economy. The KS Department of
Commerce has identified five sectors
of growth in the Framework for Growth,
each of which require a secure, assured,
and resilient environment to be
successful. The KBoR institutions are
well suited to advance these areas.
KU has been nationally recognized
for over 60 years in the development
of advanced radar technology. Over
the past decade KU has broadened
this area by developing sensor and
cybersecurity expertise aimed at
detecting and mitigating threats for
both the defense and commercial
sectors. KU is one of six universities
nationwide to receive a National
Security Agency (NSA) Science of
Security Lablet award. This award
builds on designation by the NSA
and the Department of Homeland
Security as a National Center of
Academic Excellence in both Cyber
Defense Education (CAE-CDE) and
Cyber Research (CAE-R). KU is one
of only 40 institutions in the United
States to have this dual designation.
In 2010, K-State was designated an
NSA and DHS Center of Academic
Excellence in Cyber Research (CAE-R)
institution. It is also home to the Center
for Information & Systems Assurance.
The center catalyzes communication
and collaboration across colleges and
departments and encourages and
guides transdisciplinarity. As a result
of these activities, a diverse collection
of faculty from computer science,
electrical engineering, sociology,
physics, and agronomy have all made
significant contributions to K-State’s
many cybersecurity success stories.
KU and K-State are both part of
the NSF CyberCorps: Scholarship for
Service program, which trains security
professionals. The program aims to
meet federal, state, and local agencies’
cybersecurity needs.
34
State + regional resources
• Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center
• 177th Information Aggressor Squadron at McConnell Air Force Base
• U.S. Army’s Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Bio and Agro-Defense
Facility (NBAF) being constructed in Manhattan
Major research infrastructure + programs
• K-State Center for Information & Systems Assurance (NSA/DHS CAE-R
designation, NSF CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service)
• KU Information & Telecommunications Technology Center - Information
Assurance Center (NSA Science of Security Lablet, NSA/DHS CAE-CDE
and CAE-R designation, NSF CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service, Kansas
Applied Research Laboratory)
• KU DIA Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence (IC-CAE)
• K-State Biosecurity Research Institute
• WSU is a team member of UT Austin’s NSF AI Institute for Foundations
of Machine Learning
Economic impact to the state
Kansas can lead the region and nation in security by leveraging KBOR universities’
strengths and through R&D to provide technical solutions that enable a robust,
resilient, and assured cyber environment. This expertise will provide a highly trained
workforce that supports statewide industries and also serves as an asset for
recruiting high-technology business to the region.
Kansas can lead the region and nation in
security by leveraging KBOR universities’
strengths and through R&D to provide
technical solutions that enable a robust,
resilient, and assured cyber environment.
35
Areas to advance research competitiveness,
resilience + economic prosperity
Science and technology innovations are changing the Kansas economic landscape.
With new technologies threatening to disrupt or replace traditional job markets,
there is a real need to ensure that all communities across the state, including rural
areas, can capitalize on innovations and have access to economic prosperity. At the
same time, Kansas communities are challenged by an increase in extreme weather
events, aging infrastructure, and access to healthcare and education. The global
COVID-19 pandemic, along with 24 federally declared disasters within Kansas in
the last 14 years, have revealed the critical need for Kansas communities to build
resilience to major disruptions.
To advance research competitiveness and provide access to all Kansas commu-
nities, this S&T innovation plan recommends that Kansas invest in infrastructure
to build research capacity, with a specific focus on four interdisciplinary areas for
science and technology growth in the near future.
Infrastructure to build research capacity
Rural broadband + connectivity
Kansas can leverage the KBOR university strengths in cybersecurity and provide
further development in connectivity and network research. Network connectivity,
including rural broadband, is a critical enabler of research and research-program
development and is also an important attraction to high-technology business
development. Network connectivity is also essential for precision agriculture,
telehealth, equitable access to economic growth for rural communities, and
data-enabled smart-city infrastructure.
Data literacy, data storage + open-data access to enable research
The Kansas Geological Survey, Kansas Biological Survey, and KU’s Biodiversity
Institute provide open data sources that have enabled environmental, water-
resource, and biodiversity research. As scientists work to harness big data for a
multitude of applications, there is an urgent need to improve the infrastructure
supporting the reuse of data. In a 2016 Nature publication, a diverse set of
stakeholders — representing academia, industry, funding agencies, and scholarly
36
publishers — jointly endorsed a concise and measurable set of FAIR (findability,
accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) Data principles to guide data
producers and publishers. The FAIR principles aim to enhance the reusability
of data holdings by individuals and machines, thus enabling machine-learning
applications.
For Kansas research to have the maximum global impact, Kansas
must invest in open-data initiatives, and investments should focus on three areas:
1. Training researchers in data literacy and FAIR principles, so that all data
produced for one specific purpose is usable by others and can be leveraged
widely.
2. Data storage that is safe, secure, and provides access beyond the life of
a sponsored-research project.
3. Developing a workforce that can use open-access data and machine learning
to harness the data revolution for Kansans.
Areas for growth
1. Smart infrastructure + resilience
2. Precision agriculture
3. Digital transformation + automation
4. Harnessing genomics
37
Smart infrastructure + resilience
The American Society of Civil Engineers
has been sounding the alarm on the
nation’s aging physical infrastructure
for decades, and recent power and
water failures have demonstrated that
critical infrastructure is increasingly
susceptible to failure. In the last 14
years, 24 federally-declared disasters
were declared in more than two-thirds
of Kansas counties. Natural hazards
— including floods, tornadoes, severe
storms, winter storms, and drought —
pose significant threats to Kansas
communities that will only worsen
with climate change. Community
resilience depends on the performance
of the built environment and on
supporting social, economic, and
public institutions, which are essential
for community response and recovery
after a hazard event. Community
infrastructure systems, on which the
economic and social well-being of any
community depends, are susceptible
to damage from these natural hazards.
Damage to infrastructure has dispro-
portionate impacts on social and
economic losses, with particularly
devastating and long-lasting eects
on rural communities. Enhancing
community resilience remains a national
imperative, as reflected in recent
significant financial investments in
resilience enhancement at federal, state,
and local levels as well as progress in
disaster-related science and technology.
38
Kansas is uniquely positioned to
capitalize on its expertise in
cybersecurity and infrastructure to meet
the needs of communities to rebuild
aging infrastructure and to become
more resilient to the changing climate.
Resilience science requires understand-
ing pre-disaster capacities of the built,
social, human, economic, financial, and
political systems that are our communi-
ties. Resilience science requires interdis-
ciplinary collaboration, sophisticated
data science, and the ability to forecast
or otherwise make predictions about
future hazard events for risk-informed
decision-making.
Beyond making current infrastructure
more resilient, network connectivity
and machine learning are transforming
how new, “smart” infrastructure should
be built. Smart infrastructure can be
defined as a cyber-physical system that
uses a data feedback loop to improve
decision-making for a physical system.
According to a recent analysis from
Frost & Sullivan, global spending on
smart-city technologies is expected to
increase 22.7% by 2025. Cities and local
governments are making investments
now to improve infrastructure and
resilience, while machine learning, data
analytics, and network connectivity
are completely transforming the tech-
nological landscape. Kansas is uniquely
positioned to capitalize on its expertise
in cybersecurity and infrastructure to
meet the needs of communities to
rebuild aging infrastructure and to
become more resilient to the changing
climate.
Economic impact to the state
Every $1 spent on pre-disaster mitigation saves up to $11 on post-disaster recovery,
not including the additional quality of life maintained. Resilience- and risk-informed
decision-making can be used to more optimally allocate financial resources where
the greatest needs exist to prevent hazards from ever becoming disasters. Such
resources could be used to maintain, repair, or retrofit physical infrastructure, or it
can be used to build human capacity, both of which create more jobs in Kansas.
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Precision agriculture
K-State is positioned to become the
global hub for the development and
deployment of digital agriculture and
advanced analytic systems. As a land-
grant institution, K-State has always
been involved in agricultural biotech-
nology, but feeding the global popula-
tion increasingly requires a pivot to
“evidence-based farming” driven by
data, data analytics, and decision-
making in near real time. Fluctuations in
natural phenomena, evolving consumer
preference, market implications of
political decisions, and countless other
production and market variables often
overwhelm our ability to react. The
resulting unpredictable and severe
production and commercial shocks
diminish commercial profitability,
consumer confidence, and, ultimately,
public health and safety.
Core advancements that transform
agriculture from the current highly
reactive, descriptive system to a
transdisciplinary, predictive, solutions-
based system are vital to empower
the agriculture sector to make better-
informed, more-responsive decisions.
K-State’s historical strengths across
agricultural research, from biophysical
to social sciences, are complemented
by growing leadership in advanced
analytics and partnerships with other
KBOR institutions across the state.
We will leverage our existing computing
capacity, artificial intelligence research,
deep expertise in high-throughput
phenotyping, advanced breeding
techniques, and integrated cropping
systems, as well as our geographic
advantage of a variety of microclimates
distributed among our extensive
network of regional research and
extension centers. In addition, the
state’s UAS strengths support applica-
tions to precision agriculture by
providing a foundational tool that
can be leveraged across the state’s
extensive farming acreage.
Economic impacts to the state
To maintain Kansas’s traditional
agricultural economic dominance in
the face of a changing climate and the
shrinking Ogallala aquifer, agriculture
needs to go beyond its traditional
emphases and become nimbler and
more responsive to shifting conditions.
Scientists at KU’s Center for Remote Sensing of Ice
Sheets are expanding the use of instrumentation
into new areas, including agriculture.
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Digital transformation + automation
The pursuit of improved operational
eciency, cost reductions, and
enhanced services to consumers is
driving digital transformation and
automation across all sectors of our
economy. The COVID-19 pandemic
and associated economic uncertainty
has amplified the value of agility in
business processes and decision-
making. Widely considered as the
foundation of the fourth industrial
revolution, digital-transformation
technologies that provide this agility
include mobile and cloud computing,
internet of things, and artificial
intelligence. As both the global and
Kansas economy is experiencing this
fast-paced digital transformation,
data science and data analytics will
continue to play fundamental roles
not only for economic growth and
scientific progress, but also, and equally
importantly, for informing good policy
and for gathering public support.
To help diversify and grow the
economy — while providing an
important platform for creating new
academic and applied programs for
students — WSU is moving forward on
a facility to house the National Institute
for Digital Transformation (NIDT) as
part of the university’s convergence
sciences initiative. A major building
block for this eort was supported
by the WSU Board of Trustees, who
agreed to allocate $532,000 a year
for the term of the bonds that will fund
the development of an approximately
30,000-square-foot building on the
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Innovation Campus. Research and
partnerships created in this facility
will be focused around the convergence
of faculty and students from depart-
ments across the university to support
development of research in a broad
range of economic sectors, including
high-tech, health, manufacturing,
defense, and logistics, while also
supporting the aviation and aerospace
industries.
WSU will leverage its existing data-
science research and education
activities along with extensive expertise
in cyber-physical and cyber-social
systems, human-centric engineering,
cyber security, and data privacy,
artificial intelligence, agricultural
economics and public policy to create
a sustainable ecosystem for digital
transformation of those same diverse
economic sectors.
Economic impact to the state
To increase Kansas’s economic productivity and enhance critical infrastructure
resilience, government and industry sectors need to be agile and pursue coordinat-
ed digital transformations to propel the state towards a prosperous future. These
advances can form the foundation for “smart communities” and “smart cities”
across Kansas while creating a fertile economic environment for new industries
and for retaining highly qualified Kansas professionals in Kansas jobs.
To increase Kansas’s economic
productivity and enhance critical
infrastructure resilience, government
and industry sectors need to be agile
and pursue coordinated digital
transformations to propel the state
towards a prosperous future.
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Harnessing genomics
Genomics is pervasive in contemporary
STEM fields and is both a rich field of
study and a tool used to understand
phenomena. Agronomists and agricul-
turalists use genomics to study soil,
crop, and livestock productivity. Engi-
neers use genomics to track pathogens
such as SARS-CoV-2 in our communi-
ties, optimize treatment systems (e.g.,
wastewater treatment, bioremediation),
protect our water supply, and design
biomaterials and artificial tissues. An-
thropologists use genomics to study
people and their lifestyles, and to
protect our water supply. Biomedical
scientists use genomics to understand
microbial adaptation to antibiotics, the
proliferation of cancer cells, changes
associated with Alzheimer’s disease,
and much more. Genomics tools are
transforming pharmacy and medicine
through pharmacogenomics and per-
sonalized medicine, which is enabled by
individual genetic testing. Basic science
research, focused on understanding
how genomes function, has improved
our understanding of life on earth, but
also provides the building blocks for
new approaches to the applied fields
discussed above. Thus, the interdisci-
plinary field of genomics promises to
improve infrastructure through smarter
uses of microbial diversity, to improve
crop yields through traditional and
engineering approaches, to improve
pathogen surveillance to help prevent
future pandemics, to improve patient
care and disease outcomes, and to
improve our understanding of how
life on earth evolves, functions, and
interacts.
Genomics is a funding priority at
the DOE, USDA, NSF, and NIH. Large
shares of federal funding go to research
projects that use genomics. KBOR
campuses (KU Lawrence, KU Medical
Center, K-State, WSU) have comple-
mentary and emerging strengths in
these fields, with recent investments
in high-throughput sequencing and
high-performance computing cores.
We will continue to integrate compu-
tational science, engineering, statistics,
and biology to achieve major advances
in fields related to genomics to better
serve Kansans. These advances will
be evident in our infrastructure, food
security, and public health.
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Major research infrastructure + programs
• Genome sequencing facilities (KU, KU Medical Center, and K-State)
• Ecological Genomics Institute (K-State)
• Kansas Lipidomics Research Center (K-State)
• Wheat Genetics Resource Center (K-State)
• High-performance computing cores (K-State, KU, WSU)
Economic impact to the state
Kansas is a leading agricultural state in a time when demand, technology, and
climate is changing. Genomics will help keep Kansas at the forefront of agricultural
productivity. It will also allow Kansas to modernize infrastructure and personalize
health care in innovative and cost-eective ways.
Genomics will help keep Kansas at the
forefront of agricultural productivity
[and] allow Kansas to modernize
infrastructure and personalize health care
in innovative and cost-eective ways.
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2021 recommendations
Our vision is to elevate, stimulate, grow, and translate science
and technology research in Kansas to improve the quality of
life and economic resilience of its citizens.
To achieve this vision, our plan provides a clear set of recommendations for each
actionable vision-statement element. These recommendations provide a consistent
framework to guide the eorts of state oces with contributing roles in science
and technology, KBOR institutions, businesses, and researchers. By building
functional links and networks across Kansas agencies and KBOR institutions,
Kansas can excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, bringing
innovation and economic opportunity to the state.
Overarching recommendation
Establish a statewide Science, Technology & Economic Prosperity Council that
connects research initiatives at KBOR institutions to state initiatives.
Elevate the role of science and technology in improving the lives
of Kansans and their communities.
Recommendations
• Create better communication networks between scientists, engineers,
academics, and the state’s stakeholders.
• Create a network and a record of community-engaged research in Kansas
that demonstrate how Kansas scholars have partnered with communities.
• Tell the stories of how research discoveries have impacted Kansas communities.
• Foster partnerships with rural and urban stakeholders through social science
research to change the culture of science and technology mistrust that can
pervade both types of communities.
Stimulate discovery and innovation through education, partnerships,
and infrastructure investments that build on current areas of strength
and nurture emerging areas of opportunity.
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Recommendations
• Cultivate in-state talent, beginning with K-12. State metrics indicate that Kansas
is losing talent early.
• Recruit and retain a diverse research workforce.
• Foster diverse and interdisciplinary research teams by providing opportunities
to network across disciplines and research institutions.
• Create joint initiatives across KBOR institutions that leverage individual
strengths and resources.
• Collect industry and KBOR needs for research infrastructure improvements and
work collaboratively to pursue federal, state, and private funding to meet them.
Grow the economy by applying new technologies and expanding
access to information technology, resulting in vibrant and diverse
economic development that brings tangible benefits to the citizens
of Kansas and attracts new businesses to the state.
Recommendations
• Promote education, research, and infrastructure as keys to economic growth.
• Leverage university expertise and foster cooperation between the Department
of Commerce and universities to retain, expand, and recruit research faculty
and companies.
• Support eorts to expand equitable access to broadband — a foundational
need for science and technology applications.
Translate research results to address societal challenges by
encouraging the fabrication of patentable technologies through
support from entrepreneurial incentives and university-entrepreneur-
stakeholder communication and knowledge-sharing networks that
encourage better-informed partnerships and policies.
Recommendations
• Develop state policies that provide entrepreneurial incentives, including
proof-of-concept funds and financial support for small businesses.
• Expand innovation and research parks at KBOR universities.
• Create a statewide entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Educate faculty, sta, and students on translating basic research
discoveries into commercial enterprises.
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Conclusion
In 1992, Kansas became eligible to participate in EPSCoR, a National Science
Foundation program designed to help states that receive a lower percentage of
federal dollars for research to build research infrastructure. Today, Kansas ranks 31st
for individuals in the STEM workforce, and Kansas businesses rank 20th in terms of
the percentage of business output devoted to R&D. Despite these metrics, which
indicate significant capacity for research, innovation, and economic growth, Kansas
ranks 49th in terms of federal R&D as a share of state gross domestic product
(GDP) and 42nd in terms of federal obligations for science and engineering R&D.
Over the years, Kansas NSF EPSCoR has provided seed funding for prototype
projects that led to an NSF Engineering Research Center, the Center for
Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, and an NSF Science and Technology Center,
the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets. State matching funds for EPSCoR
projects have been leveraged from 10- to almost 100-fold in some cases. These
awards stimulated the development of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional
centers and institutes of excellence. These successes have shown that the national
EPSCoR strategy, when coupled with state funding and support, can build research
capacity and stimulate federal research funding. In this plan, we have summarized
six areas of R&D strength, along with the research infrastructure and economic
impact these research areas have. Research and innovation are key drivers for
economic growth, and the state of Kansas must be committed to increasing
federal research funding as a critical strategy for economic resilience.
Along with six areas of existing strength, this plan outlines critical infrastructure
needs and four areas of opportunity in science and technology research. We
provide 17 specific recommendations for how the state of Kansas, its universities,
businesses, and science and technology workforce can work collaboratively to
elevate, stimulate, grow, and translate research. Ultimately, research in these areas
will improve the quality of life and economic resilience of Kansas citizens —
a worthy undertaking, indeed.
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48
Kansas Science + Technology Plan
2021
