Researchers are by turns curious and skeptical. And more than a little optimistic. Why else would they invest their lives and careers chasing new questions? “They are inclined to be impatient to see if something can be done, and inclined to think it can’t be done, until it’s proven otherwise,” observed British physicist and novelist C.P. Snow. Researchers’ essential optimism, he said, plays out in their relationship with the social condition writ large — including how scientific progress can help improve people’s lives.

Of course, optimism alone isn’t sufficient to push research forward, especially in the dizzying, high-tech pace of the 21st century. It also requires resources, curiosity, perseverance and a non-negligible amount of luck. And, of course, money: Through every stage, every hypothesis, setback and trial, the research enterprise depends on a steady infusion of funds from some mix of grants, companies and institutions.

The potential gains of research are colossal. Decades of investment and investigation into the inner workings of messenger RNA, for example, enabled researchers to develop the first COVID-19 vaccine in a matter of months rather than years. The risks of research are also formidable: Many promising findings never leave the lab, and some don’t pan out in the real world. In many areas, researchers have only just begun to articulate questions that will guide the next century of investigations.

What, then, is the best way for the university to realize its mission of putting research to work for the greater good? Enter MizzouForward. This past November, MU unveiled the 10-year, $1.5-billion effort, a major goal of which is to propel the university to the forefront of research, innovation and impact. “This is an investment in the faculty, students and staff to achieve research excellence, student success and effective engagement,” University of Missouri President Mun Choi said during a November 2021 faculty meeting.

The goal is to push research at MU to a higher level, Choi said. MizzouForward includes provisions for faculty such as instituting competitive pay raises, supporting startup initiatives and hiring at least 150 new researchers across a range of disciplines (in addition to replacing those who have retired or left in the past few years). The primary qualifications, Choi said, are expertise and the ability to attract significant external funding.

“We’re looking for top-notch faculty who are going to be able to drive our research mission,” says MU Senior Vice Provost Matthew Martens, PhD ’02.

The program will also invest in new buildings and technologies as well as extend support for student programs such as the Honors College, undergraduate research and the Missouri Scholars Academy, which brings talented high school juniors to campus every summer.

Choi sees the program as a roadmap for how the university can forge ahead after the bruising journey of the past few years, which have included budget cuts and — most obviously — the volatility and unpredictability brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative will reach every community at Mizzou, Choi said, with much of the new hiring focused on three areas: NextGen Precision Health; New Frontiers in Science, Engineering and Technologies; and Innovations in Social Science, Humanities and the Arts. “The work that they do defines a university,” Choi said. Here’s a sneak peek at how MizzouForward will shape these areas over the next decade.