Ideas Labs to advance research capacity at the nation's historically Black colleges and universities

The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded $10.5 million for Ideas Lab projects to assess and address research capacity needs, increase access to research facilities and build human capital at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The projects, funded through the NSF Advancing Research Capacity at HBCUs through Exploration and Innovation (ARC-HBCU) opportunity, will foster collaboration and build sustainable networks to facilitate interdisciplinary research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at HBCUs.  
 
"The inaugural NSF ARC-HBCU Ideas Lab is a unique opportunity to connect talent and build research networks across our HBCUs to further advance an integrated and collaborative vision for the most critical research capacity needs of HBCUs," says NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. 
 
Since the early 19th century, HBCUs have played a crucial role in providing higher education opportunities for students who had limited access to other higher education options. Moreover, HBCUs are vital for diversifying the STEM workforce. 8.5% of Black undergraduate students attend HBCUs, yet almost 18% of the Black STEM bachelor's degrees are awarded from HBCUs. A significant number of successful HBCU graduates have made a profound impact in STEM fields. Yet HBCUs are systemically underfunded, historically underrepresented as awardees, and face many infrastructure and administrative resource barriers.  
 
The ARC HBCU Ideas lab was funded by the NSF HBCU-Excellence in Research program in the Research Capacity and Competitiveness section. The focus of the ARC-HBCU program is to promote diversity and inclusion in research, enhance the research capacity of HBCUs and foster collaboration among faculty, students and industry partners. Through the Ideas lab concept, NSF is providing the opportunity for participants to work collaboratively to identify and define the scope of the unique challenges faced by HBCUs in meeting education and research needs. As the projects progress, they will dynamically develop and hone novel ideas about how these challenges may be addressed.  
 
The awardees and summary of each project are listed below:  

Panoramic Institutional Assessments: A Playbook for Advancing Research Capacity  

This project, led by Delaware State, will bring together faculty, research administrators and institutional leaders to develop innovative tools and approaches to enhance research capacity at consortium institutions, with long-term goals to scale up to HBCUs more broadly. The project will provide a framework to guide institutions through a self-directed process to examine their research ecosystem, help institutional leaders identify and address service gaps to strengthen key administrative functions that support research administration, and guide faculty in personalized assessments of their development as individual researchers using an existing framework. The project also includes partnerships with advocacy organizations that will assist in disseminating the research capacity assessments and playbook, ensuring a broad reach and sustainable impact across campuses.  

Collaborating institutions: Tuskegee University, Huston-Tillotson University, Hampton University, Tennessee State University. 
 
Partnership for Advancing Research Capacity in Semiconductors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities  

Central State University is leading this project, which will enhance research capacity in semiconductor technology amongst partnering institutions by establishing robust research networks, enhancing faculty expertise, increasing access to state-of-the-art research facilities, and expanding student opportunities for education, training and hands-on research. This project aligns with the "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022" and has the potential to significantly broaden participation in semiconductor manufacturing and semiconductor research among African Americans, who are underrepresented in this industry even when compared to engineering sectors in general. It offers a rare opportunity for these institutions to engage and partner with industry players while contributing to workforce development in the semiconductor field.  

Collaborating institutions: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Fayetteville State University, Hampton University. 
Sub awardee institutions: Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Coppin State University, and Meharry Medical College. 
 
The HBCU Ujima Collective: Building Research Capacity at HBCUs through a Grow Your Own Research Corps Model

Led by Miles College, this project will assess, align and improve research infrastructure and processes at five HBCUs through the cultivation of highly trained human capital for work in the research enterprise. The project team will use open systems theory to produce a model that builds a corps of research administrators and scientists that can enhance and sustain research capacity across all HBCUs. The project will enhance research capacity at the institutions by speeding up the transition of the research enterprise, establishing the "grow your own model," and disseminating the research and assessment tools to allow model implementation at other institutions. 

Collaborating institutions: Morgan State University, Howard University, Winston-Salem State University, Tennessee State University. 

HBCU Research and Collaboration Exchange  

This project, led by Virginia State University, seeks to create an online HBCU-focused platform to amplify existing research capacity by connecting researchers across HBCUs to other investigators, projects and equipment. The partnering institutions will pilot this project to create a multilayer platform by first developing an expertise and resource directory representative of all researchers at the respective institutions. In addition to raising awareness about and increasing connectivity among existing research expertise within the nation's HBCUs, the long-term impacts of the project will include the creation of a collaboration readiness index for existing and future technologies, as well as the creation of virtual collaboration space. 
 
Collaborating institutions: North Carolina Central University, Winston-Salem State University, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Fisk University, University of the Virgin Islands.