Natural Resources Research Institute
The Natural Resources Research Institute was established by the Minnesota state legislature in 1983 to encourage economic growth for Minnesota's natural resources-based industries in an environmentally sound manner. NRRI has six research groups that integrate expertise to drive innovation for small businesses, large industries, agency decision-makers, public, tribal governments and other organizations.
NRRI employs approximately 140 scientists, engineers, technicians, and staff at two Minnesota locations: Duluth and Coleraine. The institute's applied research offers real-world, hands-on work experiences for UMD students. NRRI’s mission is to deliver integrated research solutions that value our resources, environment and economy for a sustainable and resilient future. This leads to the NRRI vision: Discover the economy of the future.
Research is focused on three integrated initiatives that drive solutions to current challenges:
Ecosystem Resilience – Understanding and documenting complex ecosystem relationships. Developing tools to measure, evaluate, and monitor these systems to maintain or improve their diversity, structure and resilience. This highly collaborative Initiative pulls expertise from all of NRRI’s research platforms to address the complexity of ecosystems and understand how to balance economic drivers with environmental stewardship.
Future Forest Industries – Assisting Minnesota’s incumbent and emerging forest products industries to offer a robust and competitive portfolio of value-add building products, engineered carbon materials, non-fossil fuels and materials while also offering carbon sequestration and agroforestry options.
Iron & Minerals of the Future – Research to assist Minnesota’s evolving mineral industries to develop a robust and competitive portfolio of value-add iron and other mineral products. This requires new practices and technologies that increase efficiencies, reduce energy and water consumption and prevent environmental contamination.
For more information, visit the Natural Resources Research Institute website.