Inside ‘Innovate Toledo’: How the University of Toledo plans to power the region’s Next Economy
Image: Dr. James Holloway | University of Toledo
With faculty in academic regalia and community leaders filling Savage Arena, Dr. James Holloway used his inauguration as the University of Toledo’s 19th president to launch a bold research and innovation agenda aimed squarely at Toledo’s future.
At the heart of his plan is Innovate Toledo — a new “launch pad” designed to fuel interdisciplinary research, expand university–industry collaboration, and translate academic discovery into real economic growth.
It’s one of three pillars Holloway, a nuclear engineer by training, outlined — alongside Advantage Toledo and Healthy Toledo — but it’s Innovate Toledo that could have the greatest impact on the region’s innovation economy.
Innovate Toledo “will initiate, facilitate and scale interdisciplinary research that is inspired by the opportunities of our region, and develop and grow our regional capacity to drive innovation,” Holloway said.
Why it matters
For Toledo, the initiative represents more than a campus investment — it’s a strategy to turn university research into regional prosperity.
As a Carnegie R1 research university with more than $70 million in annual research expenditures and over 100 doctoral graduates each year, UToledo already plays a quiet but powerful role in advancing Ohio’s innovation economy.
Innovate Toledo aims to make that role more visible, and more connected, to local industry, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.
The details
Holloway outlined a clear, three-part strategy for Innovate Toledo:
Align research with regional needs. Faculty and students will pursue projects tied to local opportunities in manufacturing, energy, water quality, and health.
Cross academic boundaries. The initiative will fund interdisciplinary teams that blend engineering, science, medicine, and business expertise.
Expand funding capacity. A one-time multi-million-dollar seed investment will start Innovate Toledo and help teams prepare competitive proposals for large federal and industry grants.
He cited the Lake Erie Center and UToledo Water Task Force as early examples of how cross-disciplinary research can both advance knowledge and deliver tangible community impact — in this case, improving the region’s drinking water and environmental resilience.
Beyond the lab
Beyond new discoveries, Innovate Toledo is designed to position the university as a catalyst for the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The initiative will connect faculty expertise and student talent with companies across northwest Ohio — incubating startups, supporting tech transfer, and helping established businesses expand through applied research partnerships.
Holloway said he has directed UToledo’s new Vice President for Research to make this innovation ecosystem a top priority, ensuring that the university’s research infrastructure serves both academic and economic missions.
The big picture
While Advantage Toledo focuses on student experience and Healthy Toledo on community well-being, Innovate Toledo is where research meets regional renewal — translating university discovery into jobs, companies, and technologies that strengthen Ohio’s economic base.
“As a metropolitan research university and academic health center located in a region with a strong manufacturing and agricultural future,” Holloway said, “we are unabashed in our focus on professional education, unswerving in pursuing research that advances our region, unrelenting in seeking cures for our patients, and unafraid to declare our achievements.”
The message was clear: the University of Toledo intends to lead not from the sidelines of the city’s innovation economy — but from the center of it.