INSPIRE! A Community Engaged Research Program
The INSPIRE! program at Washington State University is a great example of how a university can help to develop capabilities within individuals to participate in shared decision-making in HIBAR projects. The program supports all facets of community engaged research and creative practice through programming that provides training, education, and funding opportunities.
A brief description of the INSPIRE! program
Like HIBAR research, community engaged research emphasizes shared and reciprocal relationships, focused on addressing societal needs. This type of engaged research by definition is higher risk because it takes a lot of time to build relationships, with no assurance that the project itself will succeed. The INSPIRE! program at Washington State University (WSU) focuses on the research process, and was expanded beyond a seed grant program to include training and mentoring related to community engagement, to make researchers better able to achieve sustainable and implementable results.
The program has multiple tiers, set up to support faculty members who have not previously done community engaged research and are just getting started, as well as also those who are already engaged in such projects and need support to take their work to the next level. The program offers:
- Workshops at least once per year to support faculty pursuing community engaged research. These workshops are beneficial to faculty with all levels of experience but are particularly geared toward those just beginning or seeking to begin a community engaged research program.
- Information sessions on a variety of topics that are relevant to community engaged research. Past topics have included the Community Engaged Research Seed Grant Program, engagement with Tribal communities, and community engaged research broadly.
- Seed grants to support the development of and capacity for community engaged research, funded primarily by the WSU Pullman Chancellor’s office.
This strategic action can encourage cross-sectoral co-leadership & shared decision-making:
As highlighted by the INSPIRE! program description, community engaged research is set apart by its methodologies and practices that emphasize working with communities not working on communities. This work requires practices of mutual accountability, reciprocity, and engagement, all grounded in the fundamental principle that the research is mutually beneficial to everyone involved in the relationship.
Co-leadership and shared decision-making are essential elements of community engaged research, as highlighted by these best practices:
- Community engaged research centers the needs and benefits of community members and organizations.
- The community is substantially involved in proposing and designing the research.
- There is shared ownership of the research and its mobilization, and the objective of capacity building for all partners.
- Community engaged researchers recognize that research is an ongoing conversation and relationship building process.
This strategic action directly contributes to various common institutional priorities, including:
HIBAR projects enable university-based researchers and non-academic researchers and practitioners to work together on projects that strengthening commitment to research excellence and also greatly accelerate progress toward solving society’s critical problems, since co-produced research outcomes are more likely to be translated to benefit society in the long term.
Community Engagement
HIBAR projects involve deep partnerships with individuals in external organizations, often in locally-based industries, governments, non-profits, and communities. This inclusion helps build long-lasting relationships with people and organizations holding diverse knowledge and perspectives, and increases future community-engaged activities and solutions.
Talent Development
HIBAR projects offer experiential opportunities that lead to many different career paths. This creates a positive feedback loop: as more HIBAR-experienced researchers enter the workforce, they can help co-create and co-lead more university HIBAR collaborations that in turn create new HIBAR research opportunities for another generation of faculty and students.
Learn more about the INSPIRE! program:
