Sometimes it’s hard for people across the state to see how supporting a major research university like Kansas University helps them.

They see that it helps the Lawrence economy, and it’s a place they can send their children to get a college degree. But if there are no prospective KU students in their family, what are they, as taxpayers, getting from their investment in KU?

There are many answers to that question, but perhaps none that speaks as loudly as the $17 million research grant that was announced this week at KU. The grant from the National Science Foundation is the largest in the state’s history and will fund the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis at KU.

The university’s partners in the grant, the University of Iowa and Washington University in St. Louis, each will received between $2 million and $3 million from the grant, but the rest of the money will stay at KU. Contributions from KU, the other two universities and industry partners will add up to a $30 million project.

The goal of the research is to work with industries to develop environmentally friendly catalysts that can be used to speed chemical reactions in the production of products such as gasoline, medicine, clothing and food. Most catalysts now in use are liquid acids that are harmful to the environment. The center will work to develop solid acids that can be transported and disposed of without endangering the environment. The process being developed also could be accomplished without generating carbon dioxide, which is considered a “greenhouse gas.”

It’s sort of a dream project. Not only does it help industry and feed the state economy, it also protects the environment. It doesn’t get much better than that.

But back to how it directly benefits the Kansas economy. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that $17 million in research funds creates 700 jobs and $120 million in other economic benefits.

When materials developed by researchers move from the labs to the production facilities, Kansas will have an edge in attracting related businesses. Some of the companies already lining up to work with the KU researchers are DuPont, Chevron, Phillips, Eli Lilly, Dow Chemical, Shell and Exxon Mobile. The $17 million grant is a five-year award, which could be renewed for another five years. After that, the research would be entirely supported by industry.

So, in addition to the prestige of winning such a grant, the state gets jobs, capital investment and a front seat in the development of an environmentally friendly process with tremendous market potential.

Obviously, Lawrence and KU are excited about the prospects, but that excitement should be shared by everyone in the state. It’s hard to imagine a more tangible example of how the education and research carried out by KU can help fuel the state’s economy.