Summary

Research funders are increasingly interested in the broader impact of research, beyond standard scholarly outputs and dissemination of research findings. Broad impact includes policy outcomes for communities, emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and uptake of research by practitioners to enhance quality of life and democratic systems. The capacity to achieve broad impact requires strategic partnerships and alliances between universities, communities, governments, and other organizational stakeholders.

Using a real call for proposals from a grant funder as a practice tool, this workshop will interactively guide participants in the design and enactment of partnerships that provide mutual benefit across universities and communities. 

Participants will be given an opportunity to craft a plan to build or strengthen relationships with communities within their geographical area and to receive feedback from workshop leaders.

Outline

Variations of support for engaged faculty

• Understanding the culture of your institution, and how this alters your strategies for community relationship building

Cold calls, cold feet, and left standing in the cold

• Appreciating the hard work required to break through relational barriers, build trust, and create mutually beneficial opportunities

• Creating a checklist to build your “relational intelligence”

Designing a community engaged partnership research grant

• Understanding the call for proposals

• (Co)designing a project

• Defining broader impact

• Imagining implementation, analysis, and reporting

• Keeping the relationships warm

Building and sustaining your local network

• Starting with “hello”

• Progressing to “until next time”

• Appreciating the “sunset”

Audience & Prerequisites

This workshop is designed for individuals interested in community engaged research and building sustainable partnerships between universities and communities. This workshop will provide important tools for academics at all stages of their careers and will provide targeted guidance to non-tenured, tenure track, and tenured faculty as they weight the risks and rewards of investing time in community relationship building.