What is the HIBAR Research Alliance?

The HIBAR Research Alliance (HRA) is a volunteer-driven organization of individuals and institutions that recognize that today’s universities can and should engage more effectively with the research and innovation ecosystem as a whole, strengthening academic excellence while also addressing the needs of society.

The mission of the HIBAR Research Alliance (HRA) is to catalyze significant expansion of collaboration between university-based researchers and non-academic researchers and practitioners, working together on projects with shared decision-making, so that those integrative and responsive projects will both discover new knowledge and greatly accelerate progress toward solving society’s critical problems.

The HRA invites individuals, from all areas of the research and innovation ecosystem, to participate in its activities aimed at catalyzing cultural and structural change within universities so they can be more active partners in the larger innovation ecosystem. 

What does the HIBAR Research Alliance Do?

The HRA is tackling a key problem: Today, some practices within the academic system unintentionally discourage researchers from participating in HIBAR projects, and this in turn impedes the ability of universities to respond to the needs of society. A shift in the culture of the university system is needed to help more faculty members and student to participate in these types of projects. Contributors to the HRA believe that this cultural shift can be achieved through a coordinated combination of bottom-up, top-down, and cross-sector efforts.

The HRA’s strategy is to facilitate collaborative action through HRA working groups and through established and emerging networks in the research and innovation community. These actions will help build the capacity needed to achieve the cultural and structural changes within universities to enable more and better HIBAR research projects, and by doing so strengthen the commitment to research excellence and societal impact. The HRA will implement this strategy through:

  • Outreach and dialogue to engage collaborators;
  • Collaboration to identify barriers and opportunities for more HIBAR research; and
  • Collaboration to collect, develop, and subsequently disseminate relevant resources.

More details about the HRA strategy are included in our Strategic Plan.

Who Can Participate in the Alliance?

Everyone! All interested organizations and individuals are sincerely invited to participate in the HRA.