URI Research Foundation / URI Ventures

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Home / About Polaris MEP / URI Research Foundation / URI Ventures

Catalyzing Economic Development

Our parent organization, the URI Research Foundation (also known as URI Ventures), is your connection to world class innovation.

URI Research Foundation works with you and University of Rhode Island community to bring technology to market through sponsored research, capstone projects, licensing deals and innovation partnerships – to advance your manufacturing growth and Rhode Island’s economic development.

URI/URI Ventures R&D Resources Available

  • Bionanotechnology Lab – research emphasizes colloidal and interfacial science, self-assembly, and lipid biophysics.
  • Computational Intelligence and Self-Adaptive Systems Lab – designs intelligent computing systems that can think and act like a human brain.
  • Corrosion and Surfaces Lab – corrosion and mechanical testing to investigate degradation of coatings.
  • Dynamics Photomechanics Lab – solid mechanics, optics and laser research and materials testing.
  • High Performance Computing Lab – develops approaches to increasing the speeds of computers.
  • Mechanics of Materials Research Lab – studies advanced engineering materials subjected to complex loading under extreme temperature and environmental conditions.
  • Mechatronics Lab – provides state-of-the-art facilities and experimental setups related to field of Robotics.
  • Micro and Nanoscale Energy Lab – emphasizes the study of nanoscale thermal transport phenomena and their engineering applications in energy conversion and harvesting systems.
  • Microfluidics Lab – leverages the latest innovations in mechanical and chemical engineering to produce cutting-edge biological detection systems.
  • Next Generation Sensing Technology Lab – incorporates cutting-edge advances in wave optics, microwave photonics, and related areas into novel sensor technologies.
  • Pharmaceutical Engineering Lab – drug delivery research involving pharmaceutical engineering, biomedical engineering, physicochemical characterization of particle systems, and the development of in vitro cell models for evaluation.
  • Rhode Island Consortium for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology – a joint initiative between URI and Brown University to foster research collaboration and build infrastructure.
  • Rhode Island Transportation Research Lab – research in the areas of intelligent transportation infrastructure and systems for all modes of transportation.
  • Sustainable & Environmental Technologies Lab – develops, implements and evaluates efficient, safe and clean technologies to provide safe water.
  • Thermomechanics and Tribology Lab – makes use of experiments and analytical models in the areas of continuum mechanics to solve real-world engineering problems by implementing rational design.
  • Waterjet Lab – abrasive waterjet machining.
  • Machine Shop – machining tools ranging from simple hand tools to highly accurate computer-controlled manufacturing equipment.
  • Wearable Biosensing Lab – biomedical sensors and wearable embedded systems.
  • Wave Tank – used for a broad range of testing, including work on tsunamis, wave energy extraction, acoustic measurement of surface waves and wave-induced forcing on marine structurs.

Woman and man look at computer monitor with graphic of manufactured component for defense

URIRF-Led Consortium Designated a “Defense Manufacturing Community”

The new consortium, Rhode Island Manufacturing to Accelerate the Defense Ecosystem – “RI MADE” – will strengthen the nation’s maritime defense industrial base by providing resources which advance Automation & Robotics, Cyber Resiliency, and Risk Mitigation at a minimum of 50 Rhode Island manufacturing companies.

Click here to learn more.

RI Blue Economy Technology Cluster To Establish RI/Southern New England as Global Leaders, With Equity and Sustainability at Core

RI’s Blue Economy spans seven industries: ports and shipping, defense, marine trades, ocean-based renewables, aquaculture, fisheries, and tourism and recreation. The RI BETC Coalition requests a total of $78.10M in EDA funding. The Coalition has identified over $14.97M in private and State funds, $8.40M in in-kind support, as well as an opportunity for regional collaboration in the Blue Economy.

Click here to learn more.