Collaborative Research: EPIIC: Connect Four, building regional innovation partnerships to enhance workforce development

Most available estimates predict a STEM worker shortfall in the US ranging between a few hundred thousand and several million workers. The Brookings Institute has aptly described this reality as “one of the most fundamental problems” faced by the US which requires greater investment to “boost our workforce development and STEM education training in order to stay competitive”. The “Connect Four” project will address this challenge through direct engagement with regional innovation ecosystems. The team brings together Albion College, Canisius University, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and Roanoke College, each well positioned to advance innovation in relevant regional ecosystems. The team seeks to advance four aims: 1. Scale up Capacity to develop and sustain external partnerships, 2. Expand our Connections to a wider network of external partners, 3. Develop improved means of Communication with critical stakeholder groups, and 4. Conversion of one-off interactions into models of sustainable and repeatable partnerships at scale. The team aims to build regional innovation partnerships to enhance workforce development. Each institution will establish administrative capacity, scale faculty involvement in external partnerships (i.e., industry, regional innovation centers, non-profits, government, and other educational institutions), and create resources for sustainable partnerships. Methods include implementing strategic recommendations, expanding existing college-external partnerships, leveraging client engagements, and creating a toolkit to document and streamline external engagement. The project will address barriers such as limited faculty experience, high teaching loads, and lack of familiarity with regional workforce needs through EPIIC Faculty Fellow programs, professional development, and structured outreach. This initiative will foster robust ecosystems of external partner-academic collaboration, support institutional transformation across diverse educational environments, and contribute to the long-term economic development of each institution. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.