UW-Eau Claire’s Community Based Research Program, directed by the new Office of Corporate and Community Partnerships, will support research projects in any discipline that engages with community organizations, public sector entities or grassroots groups. Proposals can be submitted by a community member or organization, or university faculty or staff.

“The university is an important part of the community, and we want to share the research expertise of our faculty and the enthusiasm of our students to make our community better,” says Dr. Doug Dunham, UW-Eau Claire interim director of strategic partnerships and program development. “We don’t want our students to think their world is just on campus. We want students to build a connection with the community to serve the public good.”

A review panel made up of UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff, and community members, will focus on several criteria, including  alignment with community-identified priorities, feasibility within the given timeframe, identification of faculty and/or staff for research involvement, and the potential for the project to benefit both the community and the university through new knowledge.

One project will be selected for the first year of the program with a goal of expanding the program in future years. The pilot project starts July 1, 2025.

The deadline to submit proposals is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25. Proposals should be in either a PDF or Word document and submitted to partnerships@vitosdelinh.com. Questions can be directed to Dunham at dunhamdj@vitosdelinh.com.