By: Piper Hutchinson | Louisiana Illuminator
LSU and Hyundai have entered into a decade-long research partnership related to the automaker’s $5.8 billion steel mill being built in Ascension Parish.
The company’s total investment in research at the university has not yet been finalized, LSU Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Robert Twilley said, though Chancellor Jim Dalton said it could total up to $100 million over the 10-year period.
“The agreement represents the most comprehensive industry agreement partnership in LSU history, the largest ever,” Dalton said. “It’s a shared commitment to build, to develop new materials that are stronger and more sustainable, to create new academic programs for our students, for new jobs, to bridge LSU and Hyundai Steel researchers to jointly tackle challenges to bring innovations to the world through Louisiana to invent and to invest together.”
Twilley said the research would be campuswide, including chemistry, engineering and economics. Approximately five faculty members have been identified for an initial round of projects, although more will be added throughout the length of the project. Hyundai will also fund startup costs to hire more faculty, Twilley said.
The partnership will also include new academic programs, which will begin with short-term workforce certificates but might later grow into four-year degree programs, Dalton said.
Hyundai’s steel mill, which is slated to begin production in 2029, has been met with backlash from residents who have raised concerns about the environmental impact to the majority Black community of Modeste where it’s being built.
Several advocacy groups have condemned LSU for partnering with Hyundai.
“As Hyundai expands its presence in Louisiana through partnerships with LSU and support from state leadership, many residents in historically Black and rural communities are asking difficult questions about who truly benefits from this development,” said Ashley Gaignard, founder and director of Donaldsonville-based Rural Roots Louisiana.
When asked about the condemnation, Dalton said he hoped there will be a strong environmental plan in place.
“I would hope that the state, Hyundai Steel and LSU can work together to find a solution that’s not only good for the community and the workers … but also for the children, the people around us, so that we’re not having a negative impact,” Dalton said. “That’s something that LSU takes very seriously.”
The research agreement signed Tuesday allows for shared intellectual property but gives LSU full ownership of the results. It also provides faculty full freedom to publish their research as they see fit and does not guarantee Hyundai any particular results.
Greg Trahan, LSU’s director of economic development, said LSU and Hyundai are philosophically aligned on research integrity, and that the investment will be in basic scientific research in addition to applied scientific research.
A key goal of the partnership is to develop a new type of steel that will be more energy efficient, which Trahan said would require multi-disciplinary teams.
Dalton said industry and academia often butt heads because industry partners want to outline the steps and the results they want done, which is not how academic research is conducted. LSU’s partnership with Hyundai is different, Dalton said.
“We don’t run a steel mill, that’s not what we do, we’re not an engineering firm, not a consultancy,” Trahan said. “[Hyunda is] bringing us problems that are 10 years ahead, so it is basic [research], and we’re able to put those experts on it.”
The investment in research comes as LSU is seeking to become a top-50 research university. Ascending the rankings requires significantly more funding for research, which has become difficult as President Donald Trump’s administration has slashed funding for academic research. In response, LSU has shifted its sights to industry partnerships.