Impact

CENI Research Partnership Opportunities

  • CENI-Initiated Research (Tier I)

CENI faculty and affiliates lead research in our ongoing strategic priority areas. As an interdisciplinary research center, we often seek collaborators who bring experiences or perspectives from their disciplines to bear on the issues we are exploring.

If you are interested in partnering with us in our core research priorities, please let us know and we will alert you when opportunities arise. We invite potential research partners into preliminary conversations as early as possible during the proposal development process. 

  • Collaborative Research (Tier II)

CENI faculty and affiliates serve as investigators (co-PIs) with researchers or practitioners based at Virginia Tech or other organizations (e.g., K12 schools, nonprofit or government agencies, colleges or universities). CENI’s faculty will collaborate on the development and implementation of research proposals and/or develop parallel research as part of broader proposals led by a non-CENI principal investigator.

If you are interested in partnering with a CENI faculty or affiliate [link to profiles], contact us to schedule an initial meeting to discuss the project and potential options. We typically require at least 4 weeks advanced notice to serve as a co-PI on a Virginia Tech project and 6 weeks advanced notice to serve as PI on a sub-award with another institution.

  • CENI Research Support (Tier III)

Researchers outside of CENI may request assistance from our faculty related to research or broader impact engagements. For well-aligned projects, our team can provide expertise related to educational ecosystems, access to education partners, and opportunities for educational outreach and engagement. These entry-level activities allow us to build relationships and trust with new partners by meeting specific partner needs.

Below are examples of the types of research support we have provided in the past. We are not always able to provide these services, so reach out early in your design or proposal process to inquire about our availability and fit.

  • Advisory Board Services: CENI faculty members may be available to serve on research project advisory boards seeking expertise in educational research, education systems, educational outreach within youth or community education, collaborative problem solving, or systems thinking. For Virginia Tech hosted projects, CENI faculty members’ time is compensated via a preapproved E&G budget or overhead transfer from the researcher’s department or through an indirect cost agreement that generates support for CENI’s services.

For external projects, advisory board stipends should be included in the project budget. Please reach out to the requested faculty member at least 4 weeks in advance to confirm availability and to secure letters of support/collaboration.

  • Senior Personnel/Consulting Services: For proposals and funded projects that need assistance in the design, implementation, analysis, and/or dissemination of research with a connection to CENI’s mission, our faculty may be able to provide services as senior personnel (internal) or consultants (external). Typically, these roles do not warrant inclusion as a co-PI but draw on the expertise of the CENI faculty to strengthen the project. This work could include the development of novel research or evaluation protocols; administration of focus groups, interviews, or, or surveys; analysis of qualitative or quantitative data; and/or co-authorship of research related to CENI’s mission. Please contact CENI 4-6 weeks before grant proposals are due at a minimum. If a CENI faculty member accepts a project, they should be included in the project budget at a level mutually agreeable to both parties.

  • Liaison Services:  CENI faculty are uniquely positioned to assist researchers in the creation of partnerships with educational institutions, convene and communicate with practicing educators, create opportunities for co-planning, and collaborate on the implementation of projects in informal and formal education programs.  We currently have sustained, formal relationships with multiple regional school systems and museums. While our partners ultimately decide with whom they will partner, the CENI serves as a trusted liaison throughout the lifecycle of a research project.

If you are interested in connecting with a regional education partner, please contact CENI as early in the proposal development process as possible. Please note that local school systems often have internal review processes that may require additional lead time for partnership development; as well, many school programs do not consider these requests outside of their academic calendar. CENI recommends contacting us at least eight weeks prior to any proposal deadlines in order to arrange meetings and generate letters of support.

  • Evaluation Services: CENI will provide standardized evaluation services for approved projects that include Hokie for a Day and/or the Virginia Tech Science Festival as part of their broader impacts strategy. At this time, CENI does not provide traditional external evaluation services unless the evaluator plays a substantive role in the project’s development and execution. 

Our faculty may be available to develop and implement novel evaluation services for Virginia Tech and non-Virginia Tech education-related projects for an evaluation fee. For Virginia Tech-hosted projects, this would occur via a preapproved E&G budget or overhead transfer from the researcher’s department or through an indirect cost agreement that generates substantive support for CENI’s services.

If we are unable to support your project’s evaluation needs, CENI occasionally has access to postdoctoral fellows and external evaluators to whom we can make referrals.