Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi will serve as the founding chair of a newly established national coalition that aims to shape the future of public-impact research in the United States.
In collaboration with The Pew Charitable Trusts, the newly established ‘Presidents and Chancellors Council on Public Impact Research’ includes over a dozen leaders from research universities and higher education institutions nationwide.
The council will collaborate with Pew’s Transforming Evidence Funders Network to bring together stakeholders, such as government agencies, philanthropic and funding organizations, nonprofits, and community leaders to create a roadmap for community-engaged, public-impact research.
The council’s objectives include advancing innovative research evaluation methods, strengthening partnerships among various sectors, enhancing recognition for diverse research approaches, and equipping researchers to influence policy and community outcomes.
“Scholarship that is undertaken in partnership with communities and designed to create positive societal impact through informing public policy, practice, and public engagement directly aligns with the fundamental mission of research universities — to advance knowledge, find solutions to the world’s problems, and enrich the communities we serve,” said Bendapudi.
“This also reflects Penn State’s mission as a land-grant university and one of the world’s largest research enterprises, to leverage the power of our scholarship to drive innovation and positive impact across the commonwealth, nation, and world,” she added.
Angela Bednarek, director of the evidence project at Pew, praised Penn State’s leadership in supporting and evaluating public-impact research. “Like the funders in our network, President Bendapudi is laser-focused on amplifying societal impact, public engagement, and community leadership in research priorities,” she said.
Public-impact research involves strategically undertaken research designed to positively affect society, often through multi-sector partnerships and collaboration with impacted communities.
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