Collaboration and Partnerships
Building Connections for Collaborative Research
The Sustainability Research Hub helps researchers build interdisciplinary collaborations around emerging research opportunities and complex sustainability challenges. We can help identify relevant expertise across UW–Madison, connect researchers with potential collaborators, and support the formation of teams around shared research interests and funding opportunities.
How We Can Help
Collaboration can take many forms. Our team can help researchers identify expertise, build interdisciplinary teams, develop research communities, and connect with partners within and beyond UW–Madison.
Find Research Expertise
Looking for a researcher with a particular disciplinary perspective, method, technology, data resource, or area of expertise? We can help identify potential collaborators across UW–Madison and facilitate initial connections.
Build Collaborative Research Teams
Have a funding opportunity or research challenge that requires expertise beyond your existing network? We can help identify needed capabilities, connect prospective team members, and support early conversations about project fit, roles, and shared interests.
Develop Research Communities
Some collaborations begin before there is a specific proposal. We help researchers build communities around emerging sustainability topics through working groups, workshops, networking events, facilitated discussions, and other team-building activities.
Connect with External Partners
Looking for external partnerships? We can help identify potential collaborators and facilitate connections with the appropriate units on campus who support relationship building with government agencies, national laboratories, industry, nonprofits, and other research institutions.
Frequently asked questions
No. We can help with collaboration at different stages, from exploring an emerging research idea to building a team around a specific funding opportunity.
Yes. Share the expertise, method, discipline, facility, dataset, or perspective you are seeking, and we can help identify potential connections across UW–Madison.
Yes. Depending on the project, we may be able to help identify participants, convene initial conversations, facilitate team-building discussions, and connect the team with additional research development support.
Yes. We can help researchers think through potential connections with government agencies, national laboratories, industry, nonprofits, community organizations, and other research institutions. We can help you connect with other units on campus doing this important work such as the Office of Business Engagement, UW Foundation and Alumni Association, Federal Relations, Lewis-Burke Associates, etc. The type of support available will depend on the project and partnership need.
Our focus is on research connected to sustainability challenges, which often span disciplines well beyond traditional sustainability fields. We welcome inquiries from researchers across UW–Madison whose work intersects with environmental, social, economic, technological, health, or policy dimensions of sustainability.
Looking to build a research collaboration?
Tell us about your research interests, project, or collaboration needs.