This $150,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences program (CFDA 47.075) will support the Regents of the University of Minnesota in developing long-term socio-technical research programs with electric cooperatives. Over a one-year period ending August 2023, the University will build new partnerships between researchers, university extension services, and rural electric cooperatives. The goal is to advance collective innovation and management of rural energy transitions, improving quality of life for rural communities. Specifically, the University will establish a model of "long-term socio-technical research" programs where interdisciplinary researchers, extensions services, and cooperatives build durable partnerships for knowledge-to-action programs and durable consumer-centric energy transitions. The project will also identify strategies for strengthening the impact of university-cooperative partnerships on rural community vitality over time.