Making Changes in Academic Incentive Systems to Encourage HIBAR Research Projects
The goal of the “Incentivizing HIBAR” Collaborative Action Group (CAG) is to help universities design academic incentive systems that encourage more and better HIBAR research, in turn helping universities better reflect their social contract with stakeholders. There are many ways by which universities and the broader academic ecosystem can encourage faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other researchers to pursue HIBAR projects. These include revising retention, promotion, & tenure processes, recognizing exemplary work through awards and prizes, and increasing access to research funding aimed at supporting HIBAR projects.
To date, this CAG has focused primarily on efforts to reform faculty promotion and tenure processes, and award programs to recognize exemplary HIBAR projects:
Efforts to reform faculty promotion and tenure processes:
- As a core activity, the CAG prepared a discussion paper to initiate dialogue about the need for changes in the academic incentive system to encourage more HIBAR projects. The discussion paper explores some of the barriers in the current promotion and tenure system that discourage faculty members from participating in HIBAR research projects, and highlights opportunities for both individual and collective action to cause meaningful change. The intent is for the paper to be an evolving document, developing further as we all work together to learn how best to lead the needed changes.
Award programs to recognize exemplary HIBAR projects:
- We have been working with HRA Institutional Members and Affiliates to showcase exemplary HIBAR research projects through awards, recognizing that award programs can be an effective component of the incentive system. We collaborated with Arizona State University to develop and launch the ASU President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration, which recognizes and showcases exemplary HIBAR research projects, and we have highlighted two other programs, the UCLA Public Impact Research Award, and the RRBM Dare to Care Dissertation Scholar Awards, as example efforts through which organizations can celebrate HIBAR research projects.
Key ongoing activities of the CAG are aimed at initiating generative discussions with individuals who are in a position to cause meaningful and lasting change, including:
- Sharing examples of inspiring change efforts that are currently underway;
- Identifying approaches for sharing effective strategies related to both faculty and student incentives, to generate conversations, connections, and action;
- Identifying universities that are willing to explore changes within their own institution, so we can learn from partnering with them to carry out pilot projects; and
- Identifying key audiences with whom to hold workshops or other interactive events, whereby specific actions can be initiated.
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