Research in Residence: Addressing Community Challenges Through University-Government Collaboration

对科学和研究能力的需求，以帮助解决社区面临的挑战，从未像现在这样迫切。从为STEM工作做好准备的工人，到不断增长的阿片类药物使用，再到新交通方式的影响，社会面临的挑战只会越来越大。然而，地方政府和其他社区组织缺乏接触研究团队的机会，这些研究团队可以帮助提供解决方案。该项目旨在测试一种名为“居住研究”（RIR）的新方法，即地方和州政府办公室或机构竞争性地选择最合格的研究团队来帮助解决关键的社区确定需求。这些小组在参与计划的政府提供的短期资助下，与政府伙伴合作开展初步研究活动。学术-政府合作伙伴还定义了长期研究目标和问题、活动时间表、成本，并制定了通过当地或其他支持为确定的活动获得全额资金的途径。阻碍社区研究的主要障碍有三个：1)社区需求与学术界匹配不力；2)非结构化业务实践；3)支持研究活动的复杂性。目前，政府工作人员找不到能够帮助他们的研究人员，相反，研究人员也找不到可以与之合作的市政当局的合适机构。即使出现匹配，缺乏结构化的参与模式也会降低成功结果的可能性。这些困难导致政府机构要么依赖自愿的学术研究，要么将确保资金的负担推给大学。该项目将利用一种新的方法将研究人员与社区联系起来，为获得人员和资源以解决紧迫的社区需求的研究人员、从有影响力的基于研究的解决方案中受益的社区以及从一套完善的、以使用为灵感的研究理念中受益的资助实体释放潜在利益。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The need for scientific and research capabilities to help address challenges facing communities has never been greater. From preparing workers for STEM jobs, to growing opioid usage, to the impact of new modes of transportation, the challenges facing society are only growing. Yet local government and other community organizations lack access to research teams who can help inform solutions. This project aims to test a novel methodology called Research in Residence (RIR), whereby local and state government offices or agencies competitively select the most qualified research teams to help address critical community-identified needs. These teams, supported with short-term funding provided by the participating government, work collaboratively with their government partner to carry out initial research activities. The academic-government partners additionally define longer-term research objectives and questions, schedule of activities, cost, and develop a path to securing full-funding for the identified activities through local or other support. Three primary barriers inhibit research with communities: 1) ineffective matching of community needs with academia; 2) unstructured engagement practices; and 3) complexity of supporting the research activities. Currently, there is no streamlined mechanism for government staff to locate researchers who can assist them and conversely for researchers to identify the right party within municipalities with whom to engage. If a match does occur, the lack of a structured engagement model reduces the likelihood of successful outcomes. These difficulties have led government entities to either rely on voluntary academic research or to push the burden of securing funding to universities. This project will utilize a new approach for linking researchers with communities, unlocking potential benefits to researchers who gain access to personnel and resources to address pressing community needs, communities who benefit from impactful research-based solutions, and funding entities who benefit from a set of well-developed, use-inspired research ideas.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.