History of MSIRPC

The Minority Serving Institutions Research Partnership Consortium (MSIRPC) is an organization with the primary purpose of enhancing the research, contracting and entrepreneurial capacity of the MSI community. The MSIRPC is an organized array of Tribal, Hispanic Serving, Historically and Predominantly Black colleges and universities, along with corporate leaders, policy makers, government agencies, and senior representatives of professional associations and community organizations. Through its Board of Directors, MSIRPC serves as an enabling agent to provide leadership to its constituent institutions in their individual and collective efforts to grow research, contracting, and entrepreneurship opportunities at the campus level.
Following the MSIRPC’s board’s initial meeting and strategic planning session in Washington, DC on September 11, 2006, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), along with Congressmen Al Green (D-TX) and Gene Green (R-TX), convened a National Press Conference at the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, DC on September 12, 2006, to announce the formal initiation of the MSIRPC. The Consortium was incorporated on September 19, 2006, in Texas.

The origins of the organization may be traced to the 2002 Technical Assistance Workshop for HBCUs, HSIs, and TCUs hosted by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The workshop was a joint effort of the NASA Minority University Research and Education (MURED) and Office of Small Disadvantage Utilization (OSDBU) programs at Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). In the short term, the workshop was designed to position HBCU/MIs to increase their knowledge of NASA technical needs and procurement processes. For the long term, new and expanded networks of HBCU/MIs with public and private partners and increased business with Dryden and other NASA Centers in the form of competitive contracts and grants.

With a focus on “building capacity for national competitiveness,” several governmental agencies (i.e., NASA, EPA, DOI, ONR, DoD) continue to support MSIRPC. The initial goal was to create synergy between schools of business and the science and technology areas at MSIs. This goal, along with MSIRPC’s vision and mission, is being achieved through a series of annual conferences, held to date at Southern University at Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2003); Jackson State University at Jackson, Mississippi (2004); The University of Texas—Pan America at Edinburg, Texas (2006); and Dillard University at New Orleans, Louisiana (2008).

Promoting joint ventures and capacity building initiatives for minority serving institutions by creating strategic networking and partnering opportunities with governmental agencies, business and industrial entities, foundations, and small businesses was the founding vision for MSIRPC. This vision continues to undergird the existence of the organization.

MSI Conference Goals

Based on feedback from those meetings, the MSI Conference was developed to serve as an avenue for business and industry (B&I), foundations and governmental agencies to complete the contracting circle in entreprene0urship, research, and education. Emphasis will continue to be placed on faculty, students and community participation. Subsequently, the conference goals were two-fold:

1. to provide information on capabilities and best practices of MSIs in research, education, and service for potential entrepreneurial and contracting opportunities and
2. to facilitate opportunities for MSIs, B&I, foundations, and governmental agencies to form effective teaming that creates partnership agreements.

2004 MSI Conference Overview

The MSI Conference continued to serve as an avenue for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), business and industry (B&I), foundations and governmental agencies to complete the entrepreneurship and contracting circle in research, education, and service by disseminating information and promoting development of an entrepreneurial culture among administrators, faculty, and students in MSIs. The primary focus of the 2004 MSI Conference was to stimulate the collaboration among minority academic institutions, government, small and large businesses, and not-for-profit organizations for FY05 contracting opportunities. The long-term expected outcome of the Conference is to stimulate the transformation of knowledge created by HBCUs and other MSIs into innovations that will help create new wealth and build strong local, regional, national, and global economies. Student and faculty internship and permanent placement opportunities were incorporated as a new initiative.

The MSI Conference was a sequel to the previous technical assistance sessions conducted at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in September 2002 and at SUBR in October 2003. The Conference was designed to support the various missions of MSIs, business and industry (B&I), foundations, and governmental agencies in the completion of the entrepreneurship and contracting circle in research, education, and service. Three days were planned and designed for government and university managers, entrepreneurs, contractors, small business owners, faculty and students to establish on-site partnerships, create teaming arrangements, practice effective networking, explore career opportunities, and share capabilities and best practices.

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