Yesterday’s adventures took me to the beautiful and buzzing city campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA) for the GRANTED initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that aims to enhance research access and diversity by fostering collaboration among schools, community colleges, universities, industries, and community-based organizations in Central Virginia.
The conference includes three all-day workshops in the winter and spring of 2024, focusing on building a collaborative regional research infrastructure. Today’s session was the inaugural one with well over 75 people attending the full day sessions, panel discussions, hands-on collaborative activities, and share outs.
The goal is to generate a conceptual framework that hinges upon The Collective Impact model and plan initial action steps for collaborating partners and attendees to take in building this infrastructure.
The workshops aim to open research opportunities to a wider range of stakeholders, explore new opportunities such as technology transfer, connect humanities and social sciences research to community needs, and nurture more diverse student research and leadership opportunities.
The initiative is not just about receiving funding; it’s about being part of a movement to improve research support and service capacity for the benefit of all.
Thanks for today’s conference, Shari Garmise, John Fife, and Jose G. Alcaine, Ph.D. Hope our paths will cross again.
More to come! 🌟🚀
