About Us
We believe research impacts the shape of society and society impacts the shape of research. Our goal is to challenge the research enterprise to be more collaborative, and to focus on impacts beyond benefits to academic institutions or disciplinary knowledge. We work to translate the curiosity and expertise of researchers into policies, practices, and programs to benefit society, measuring reach not only by traditional academic metrics, but in lives touched and improved. Through every step of the research process, we help researchers center real people and their real lives.
What We Do
- Help researchers view their work through the lens of societal impact, guiding them through the process of uncovering who might benefit from their work and how best to deliver usable products and information
- Support pathways to expand who conducts research, whose needs guide research, and who benefits from research
- Make research more visible with thoughtful, tailor-made education and public outreach
How We Do It
- Support all students, faculty, and staff through research and programming
- Consult on and evaluate grant proposals
- Design impact activities for research programs
- Provide a searchable database of programs and facilitate partnerships
- Offer trainings and workshops on how to make wide-ranging impacts
Mission: To work with University of Arizona faculty, researchers, scholars, and practitioners - and in partnership with our communities - to engage and prepare the next generation of researchers, promote collaborative and community-engaged research, and ensure that the greatest possible societal impact of the University of Arizona's research is realized.
Specific Objectives:
- Create and sustain infrastructure (policies, programs, practices, funding, networks, etc.) to support goals
- Prepare a research workforce that provides a variety of disciplinary expertise, lived experiences, perspectives, and community knowledges in order to solve today's grand challenges
- Develop frameworks and structures that support societal benefit as a valued metric for research impact, and that incentivize societal impact efforts throughout UA research & creative inquiry
- Provide professional development opportunities and research development support for faculty, staff, our team, and our partners to achieve our goals
- Share knowledge about best practices related to our goals; facilitate uptake of research-based practices
- Conduct research and evaluation to generate new knowledge about our sphere of interest and influence; identify institutional challenges and solutions across UA research & creative inquiry
- Facilitate reciprocal community partnerships - broadly defined to include industry, schools, non-profits, government agencies, and other potential stakeholders - across UA research & creative inquiry
- Demonstrate a return on investment from our collective work
Team Directory
