Enhancing Diverse Collaborations in the Research Ecosystem

Universities today can and should engage more deeply with the overall research and innovation ecosystem, enabling greater contributions toward solving society’s critical problems while also boosting academic excellence. These parallel benefits can be achieved through projects that partner university-based researchers with knowledgeable non-academic problem-solvers, working as equal partners to integrate basic and applied research. This approach, described as highly integrative basic and responsive (HIBAR) research, has historically contributed to breakthroughs such as the transistor and penicillin.

As universities increase their involvement in HIBAR research projects, it will enable them to deeply partner with societal experts in ways that enhance fundamental knowledge generation and academic excellence. Efforts are now underway by the HIBAR Research Alliance to help enable universities to become better partners in HIBAR projects, by working through existing networks in the research and innovation community in order to achieve necessary cultural and structural changes. This session will feature examples of how senior university leaders can strengthen engagement with partners while enhancing academic excellence, highlight diverse examples of HIBAR research partnerships, and show how a national research funding agency is encouraging stronger research partnerships between universities and the greater research ecosystem.