The San Diego-based University's CREATE initiative will leverage the expertise of non-traditional students to expand sponsored research, translate academic discovery into innovations in high-demand industries

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- National University (NU)—a nonprofit, Veteran-founded institution serving more than 130,000 working, military, and nontraditional learners annually—today announced a new applied research and technology transfer initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration with industry and accelerating innovation in STEM fields. Funded through a three-year, $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the initiative will create a hub linking employers, students, and faculty to tackle real-world challenges through hands-on, applied research through undergraduate capstone projects and potentially via other innovative pathways.

"National University is home to a community of innovators—working learners, career changers, and military-connected students who bring experience from every sector of the economy," said Dr. Mark D. Milliron, president and CEO of National University. "This initiative reflects our commitment to use knowledge for public good—turning research into real-world solutions and aligning discovery with the needs of industry and society. It's about creating a more dynamic feedback loop between employers, researchers, and learners to drive innovation in critical fields and industries."

Nationally, only 18% of undergraduates engage in applied research or faculty-led projects, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement. A 2023 Strada survey found that fewer than one in three employers believe graduates have the most relevant skills, while surveys from the Business Roundtable note that most companies lack structured channels to shape academic research or curricula.

To help close this gap, NU has joined with four other institutions to launch the Creating Research Enterprises Adapted for the Teaching Environment (CREATE) initiative—funded by the National Science Foundation's EPIIC (Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity) program, which helps universities strengthen research collaboration and industry partnerships. Over the next three years, National University will join a $1.6 million national cohort of teaching-focused institutions—including Grinnell College (Iowa), Linfield University(Oregon), and St. Michael's College (Vermont)—to advance new models of industry collaboration and research.

Employer partners in industries such as defense, aerospace, manufacturing, technology, and applied sciences will be able to collaborate directly with NU faculty and students to identify real-world challenges, design applied research projects and develop practical solutions that can be tested and implemented in the field.

During year one, NU will conduct an environmental scan of peer institutions and its regional innovation ecosystems to better understand how its existing academic programs and departments can align with the employer demand for sponsored research. Early implementation will include pilots within NU's School of Engineering and Technology(SOTE) —covering areas such as manufacturing design, data science, and electrical/computer engineering—followed in year two by expansion into the School of Business and Economics (SOBE) and, in year three, the School of Arts, Letters, and Sciences (SOALS).

"The need for closer collaboration between higher education and industry isn't new—but what's different here is where it's happening," said Brian Epp, associate director of learning experience and workforce development at National University and principal investigator for the grant. "We're expanding applied research into nontraditional institutions—the places closest to students—and creating opportunities for them to turn their skills and knowledge toward solving real, cutting-edge challenges in the industries they hope to enter."

In addition to building partner networks, the grant will fund the development of a centralized "front-door" process through which external companies, nonprofits and government agencies can engage with NU faculty and students. It's designed to go both ways by also helping NU students, faculty, and staff know how to connect with the university's external partner community. The project will also support the development of new policies to better structure student and faculty participation in sponsored research—clarifying how faculty can allocate time and receive compensation for sponsored research and creating clearer pathways to translate academic research into market-ready products and applications.

By integrating applied research more deeply into the teaching environment, National University aims to become a national model for broad-access institutions seeking to enhance their research and innovation capacity. The CREATE initiative complements the university's broader R&D strategy, which includes the Cause Research Institute, which coordinates and amplifies faculty and student research efforts across disciplines.

If you're interested in innovating with NU or learning more about this initiative, please contact Brian Epp, the grant Primary Investigator, at bepp@nu.edu.

About National University: National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of nontraditional, working, and military students by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego's largest private nonprofit university, NU offers more than 150 online and on-campus programs with flexible four- and eight-week classes and one-to-one graduate education models designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to serve 130,000 learners each year—50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development learners—and includes 250,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom work in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. Learn more at NU.edu.

Media Contact

Ashleigh Betz, National University, 760-889-3494, abetz@nu.edu, https://www.nu.edu/

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