Connecting Research to Real-World Impact

When Iowa State University researcher Ratul Chowdhury received a CIRAS mini grant, the funding helped move his work forward. Just as important, his connection with CIRAS helped open new doors for collaboration and industry engagement.

Through his association with CIRAS, Chowdhury found new opportunities to connect with Iowa industry partners and apply his research in real-world settings. Those connections helped bridge academic discovery with practical use and opened the door to ongoing collaboration.

Chowdhury’s work, featured in an Iowa State News story on future-proofing livestock vaccines, highlights the broader potential of this research. CIRAS plays a role in helping move that work beyond the lab by connecting faculty with industry needs and opportunities.

For faculty, this is where CIRAS delivers value. We help connect research to real challenges, identify partners, and position work for broader impact.

In this case, the result was not just progress on a project. It created a pathway to collaboration, industry relevance, and future funding opportunities. The work helped lead to funding through the Global Methane Hub to discover and biomanufacture methane emission blockers from cattle, bringing in USDA Agricultural Research Service collaborators. That momentum also led to a new collaboration with Children’s Mercy Research Institute in Kansas City focused on developing vaccines for infant parechovirus infections.

CIRAS helps Iowa State faculty move their work beyond the lab through industry connections and meaningful collaboration.

Contact Kira Kistner to learn more.