Strengthen and Modernize Partnerships to Address National Priorities

Award ID: 2533150

The United States faces unprecedented challenges in maintaining its global leadership in science and technology innovation, as highlighted by recent calls from national leaders including the presidential administration's directive to "blaze a new trail" in research enterprise paradigms and the need for modernizing university-industry partnerships. This project addresses critical national needs by strengthening cross-sector research partnerships that are essential for economic competitiveness, national security, and societal benefit. Through a comprehensive series of workshops and stakeholder engagement activities, this initiative will identify and develop innovative approaches to overcome barriers that currently limit the effectiveness of collaborations between academia, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors. The project serves the national interest by enhancing America's capacity to translate fundamental research into breakthrough technologies, developing a workforce prepared for emerging industries, and creating more efficient pathways for innovation that will maintain U.S. technological leadership in global competition. This award includes listening sessions with diverse stakeholders, video-recorded interviews with thought leaders, and comprehensive research activities, and will culminate in a leadership convening in Washington, DC (Fall 2025) to plan for a series of pilot programs that will test innovative approaches across six key imperatives: aligning the S&T enterprise with societal needs, reimagining IP management, catalyzing transformative partnerships, growing a future-ready workforce, optimizing research assets, and shaping new funding models. These pilot programs will be executed at a future date and are outside the scope of this award. The project will develop detailed frameworks and implementation strategies for these pilots, providing the research community with evidence-based methodologies and recommendations for transforming how cross-sector partnerships operate and deliver value. Future implementation of these pilot programs will enable testing and evaluation of their effectiveness in improving collaboration speed, research impact, and innovation outcomes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Sarah Dunton