Growing Arizona:
TRIF at work at ASU

Arizona’s Technology and Research Initiative Fund (TRIF) fuels research and innovation at our state’s public universities, advancing our state’s economy today and into the future.

How TRIF benefits Arizona

TRIF investment creates an ecosystem that empowers businesses to succeed in our state. Arizona’s long-term commitment to research attracts and generates companies that advance emerging technologies and helps them stay ahead of disruptive trends.

Our universities provide the talent, knowledge and infrastructure companies need to thrive in competitive industries. In turn, they create stable, high-wage jobs and invest in their communities — a “virtuous cycle” of economic growth and human well-being for generations to come.

TRIF impact at Arizona State University

At ASU, TRIF funding supports projects and initiatives in health, sustainability, national security and space exploration, and workforce development. ASU transforms these investments into big gains for Arizona. Programs seeded by TRIF go on to attract significant federal and philanthropic funding, recruit exceptional talent, and create new products and businesses that generate high-quality jobs.

$2.3 billion

in external funding attracted, a threefold return on investment

14,500+

graduate students and postdocs and 8,600+ undergraduate students trained

762

U.S. patents issued

235

startup companies launched

Saving lives and improving health

New study shows that commonly used herbicide crosses blood-brain barrier

Researchers explore possible effects in the brain

Valley Fever Collaborative awarded $3M in research funds

ABOR funds to support new research into Valley fever detection technology, genomics, seasonal outbreak patterns in tri-university partnership

Michael J. Fox Foundation supports neurological research at Biodesign

Three new projects, garnering $5.2 million in new support from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, will help advance groundbreaking treatments for Parkinson's disease

Creating solutions for air, water and energy

ASU center goes river graphing

ASU researchers are creating an interactive digital tool that will showcase the impacts of the Colorado River shortage and the effects of water policy decisions in a format that anyone can access and understand.

How to create a carbon-neutral Arizona

In a new research collaboration, ASU and Salt River Project have developed important insights into the significant decisions that lie ahead in determining how to cut CO2 emissions throughout the state.

Zero waste water

In the Sonoran Desert, water — even wastewater — is a precious resource. ASU researchers are putting sewage to use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a variety of valuable products.

Protecting human safety and security

Fortifying the foundations of cybersecurity

ASU answers cybersecurity challenges through renewed efforts that will act as the one-stop shop for all cyber interests.

Cybersecurity competition challenges next generation of security experts

As the tide of cyberattacks continue to rise, so does the need for digital defenders who understand how their adversaries think.

How will we protect American infrastructure from cyberattacks?

How will we protect American infrastructure from cyberattacks?
ASU is home to a bevy of experts on cybersecurity — in fields from computer science and law to business and humanities — who have come together in order to understand and solve this complex, far-reaching problem.

Pioneering a new space age

Office space: ASU, Blue Origin to create business park in orbit

Arizona State University is partnering with Blue Origin to create Orbital Reef, a mixed-use space station for commerce, research and tourism. The station will open new markets and make living and working in space a reality for more businesses, scientific efforts and nations.

ASU-led LunaH-Map spacecraft safely delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

LunaH-Map is a fully functional interplanetary spacecraft and is the first mission to be led, designed, assembled, integrated, tested and delivered from the ASU Tempe campus.

Students’ lunar exploration system is a finalist in NASA competition

Students in ASU’s Luminosity Lab designed a launcher and probe system that could help shed light on the moon’s mysterious — and potentially water-storing — permanently shadowed regions.

Empowering a thriving workforce

A major player in microelectronics

Thanks to its top-notch facilities, researchers and graduates, ASU is helping turn Arizona into a microelectronics hub.

ASU students win Red Bull Basement global competition

Two ASU undergraduates beat finalists from 44 other countries to win the Red Bull Basement global competition with their innovative note-taking tool, Jotted.

The impact of empowering student entrepreneurs

Reflecting on one year as the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU.

How TRIF is funded

In 2000, Arizona voters approved a 0.6 cent sales tax increase to raise funds for education through Proposition 301. In 2018, Gov. Doug Ducey extended the sales tax increase for an additional 20 years by signing SB 1390. While the majority of the revenue goes to K-12 education, a small portion of the fund fuels research, workforce development and technology transfer at Arizona’s three public universities through TRIF, which is administered by the Arizona Board of Regents.

Growing Arizona: TRIF at work at ASU