UW-Superior has a research agenda focused on the Lake Superior region through three separate centers or institutes. Faculty expertise and student involvement are key aspects of our institution's work and demonstrates our commitment to solving state and regional issues while enhancing our teaching mission.

Our Academic Plan, illustrates that scholarship is a key component of the tripartite mission of UW-Superior and provides the intellectual underpinnings for academic and outreach activities.

Research Centers and Institutes:

Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI): focuses on applied environmental research. Its mission is includes an emphasis on continuing evaluation and analysis of the physical, biological, and socio-economic environments of the greater Lake Superior Basin. Since its foundation in 1967, LSRI has received more that $25 million in extramural grants.

Transportation and Logistics Research Center (TLRC): has the mission to provide applied transportation and logistics research, education and advisory services that benefit the region's economy. Since its opening in 1999, the center has received more than $5 million in grants and endowments

Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute (GLMRI): represents a consortium of the University of Wisconsin-Superior Transportation & Logistics Research Center and the University of Minnesota Duluth Swenson College of Science & Engineering and Labovitz School of Business and Economics. GLMRI is dedicated to developing and improving economically and environmentally sustainable maritime commerce on the Great Lakes through applied research. GLMRI was established in 2004 to pursue research efforts in marine transportation, logistics, economics, engineering, environmental planning, and port management. The U.S. Maritime Administration designated GLMRI as a National Maritime Enhancement Institute on June 1, 2005.