Minnesota Agencies

The Center's mission is to develop research-based solutions that can reduce the impacts of aquatic invasive species in Minnesota by preventing spread, controlling populations, and managing ecosystems, and to advance knowledge to inspire action by others. MAISRC's vision is to be a vibrant and durable research enterprise that advances the knowledge and builds the capacity that Minnesota needs in order to reduce the impacts of aquatic invasive species on our cherished lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

In 2012, the Minnesota legislature appropriated funds from the Clean Water Fund to create an Aquatic Invasive Species Cooperative Research Center at the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with the Commissioner of Natural Resources (DNR). The legislature instructed the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota to "develop and implement an Aquatic Invasive Species Cooperative Research Center, including equipment and facility development. As a condition of receiving this appropriation, the University of Minnesota is requested to collaborate with the commissioner of natural resources in developing solutions to control aquatic invasive species."

The Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center is an interdisciplinary research center at the University of Minnesota. MAISRC may support research at any Minnesota-based academic or governmental research organization, depending on funding.  While the University has made significant investments in human resources and facilities improvements for the creation of MAISRC, they do not provide ongoing direct funds to support MAISRC research, equipment, or core operations.

In 2019 the legislature asked that the MAISRC "report with recommendations on the most effective structure for a statewide surveillance and early detection system for aquatic invasive species; whether to employ eco-epidemiological models, optimized decision models, or related tools to determine how best to deploy limited resources; how the statewide system should be funded and at what levels; and regulatory, policy, and statutory changes that would be needed to fully implement the statewide system."