Oregon Tech Partners with Google Public Sector to Enhance Research

Dec 18, 2025, 2:23 AM

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Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) has announced a significant collaboration with Google Public Sector to embed Google Cloud's artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing capabilities across the university. This initiative is designed to accelerate innovative research, expand computing capacity, and empower faculty and students with advanced AI tools to streamline processes such as grant management.

Dr Nagi Naganathan, President of Oregon Tech, emphasized that this partnership builds on the university's innovation ethos. He noted that while faculty and students are engaged in numerous applied research projects, the limitations of the current infrastructure hinder their ability to discover and align with new opportunities. This collaboration aims to connect researchers with additional resources and accelerate their capacity to drive innovation that leads to practical solutions, ultimately supporting advanced workforce development for industry partners.

Through this partnership, Oregon Tech researchers will gain access to Google Cloud's advanced computing infrastructure, which includes graphics processing units (GPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and specialized datasets for research in various fields such as life sciences, climate studies, robotics, and chip design.

The collaboration is expected to enhance ongoing grant-funded initiatives at Oregon Tech, which currently focus on areas like rural healthcare workforce development, energy solutions, and applied computing. Reymund Dumlao, Director of State and Local Government and Education at Google Public Sector, stated that this partnership showcases how Google Cloud's advanced AI and technology can support educational institutions in transforming research and enhancing community projects.

Dr Abdy Afjeh, Senior Vice Provost for Research at Oregon Tech, highlighted that the collaboration aims to streamline administrative processes, allowing staff to support more student and faculty research. By automating repetitive tasks, the university's relatively small research team can concentrate on assisting faculty and students in developing proposals and conducting impactful research across Oregon and beyond.

The integration of AI tools is also expected to transform the way researchers identify and pursue new opportunities. President Naganathan explained that the technology will help match researchers with relevant problems more efficiently, making opportunities visible to students and faculty so they can address issues promptly.

A key aspect of the collaboration is the enhancement of grant management processes, which are often time-consuming for universities. AI tools will assist in breaking down lengthy requests for proposals, allowing team members to focus on specific tasks rather than becoming experts in every aspect of a proposal.

Oregon Tech aims to leverage this increased efficiency to accelerate research projects in critical areas such as rural healthcare workforce development and energy solutions. The collaboration is also expected to reduce the likelihood of duplicating efforts by identifying ongoing projects, thereby enabling more strategic collaboration among research teams.

The potential impacts of this partnership extend beyond the university, promising significant benefits for local communities and industries. Naganathan reiterated the university's commitment to working on real-world solutions, stating that the collaboration will help identify needs earlier, assemble effective teams, and deliver solutions in a timely manner.

This partnership reinforces Oregon Tech's identity as an applied research institution with strong ties to industry. The university aspires to be the go-to resource for companies seeking assistance with practical problems, positioning itself as an innovation portal and surrogate lab for industry.

Overall, the collaboration with Google Public Sector is set to accelerate innovation at Oregon Tech, strengthening its role in preparing the next generation of engineers, healthcare professionals, and technology leaders.

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