Planning: The Valparaiso University Research Collaboratory: A Needs Assessment and Pilot Project

This planning project aims to investigate and inform strategies for creating a new centralized administrative division at Valparaiso University, which will enable the University to effectively seek, secure, and sustain mutually beneficial research partnerships within regional industries. As a scalable model to be shared with small universities across the nation, the "Research Collaboratory" has the potential to diversify and strengthen the national research enterprise by increasing participation among primarily undergraduate universities. In addition to enhancing faculty research opportunities, enriching student learning, and encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration at the institution, the university-industry partnerships made possible by this project will provide STEM workforce development opportunities and promote economic growth. An advisory council will be formed to oversee progress toward the two primary goals of the Valparaiso University Research Collaboratory planning project. First, a comprehensive assessment will be performed to quantify and qualify the current need and potential for partnerships. Industry opportunities and challenges will be considered within the context of faculty capabilities and interests in order to prioritize general topics and specific entities to pursue for near-future research partnerships. Second, a pilot project will be launched within a discrete field or topic of inquiry in order to explore organizational and logistical best practices, which will later be expanded to all academic STEM disciplines. Observations and lessons learned will be carefully documented to enable thorough dissemination at the conclusion of the project. 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.