Innovation and Research Engagement Office

IREO Vision and Mission
Vision: To be recognized as a premier office in supporting faculty efforts to translate their research and scholarship to the public benefit.

Mission: We grow private support and create opportunities for faculty engaged in creative activities, research and scholarship. To these ends, we design and support economic development activities that position and enhance faculty and students’ work products, utilities, and impacts to help build, support and grow businesses through awareness, connection, and translation.  

IREO Connects You to WSU

Our Role

The IREO staff help partners navigate WSU. We work with you to problem solve, get projects started and, where possible, grow interaction.

Research Highlights

Dr. Juming Tang

Dr. Juming Tang, Regents Professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering for invention and commercialization of electromagnetic spectrum wave-based food processes. His work has been published and referred 362 times.

Tang explores the use of electromagnetic energy at microwave (MW) and radio frequencies (RF) in developing high-temperature-short-time thermal processes to produce high quality shelf-stable foods. The research is supported by US Army and DoD and food companies.


WSU is leading a microwave sterilization consortium that consists of several major equipment, packaging and processing companies in developing microwave sterilization protocols.

Learn more about Dr. Juming Tang’s research by emailing innovation@wsu.edu.

IREO Motto
Connect, Collaborate, and Create.

Getting Started: Industry Partners

If you are looking for expertise, IREO can help you find the right WSU assets and work with you to put in place the appropriate type of organizational agreements. If you already have the expertise or asset(s) identified, we can work with you to find the right path to start the partnership. Learn more about WSU infrastructure and contracting vehicles by clicking the button below, or email us at innovation@wsu.edu to set up a time to talk with the team.

Getting Started: WSU Researchers

It’s different. It’s complex. It’s a new approach to research.

IREO helps faculty engage with their private sector partners. We serve WSU faculty and students by providing trainings and customized supports that help you find, communicate, and navigate your way to a private sector research partnership.

It can be daunting to figure out how to navigate the private sector and build a research partnership. It is a different process from grant writing, but for those who want to see their work applied in the world, it is often a prerequisite. Each industry has different rules of engagement and differing needs. It takes active work to find the right door into a company, to understand how your work relates to them, and how best to position yourself for funding.    

Let Us Help Put Your Research to Work!