Collaborative research: research infrastructure: epiic: pristine partnerships to promote research & innovation for societal impact & novel engagements

Award Details: Southern Connecticut State University received $398,176 in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) for the PRISTINE (Partnerships to Promote Research & Innovation for Societal Impact & Novel Engagements) initiative, effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028.

Products and Services: PRISTINE establishes a collaborative community of practice among three primarily undergraduate institutions designed to build capacity for developing and strengthening external research-industry partnerships in emerging technology fields. The project delivers comprehensive resources and training programs in three core areas: (1) cultivating external partnerships to attract research funding and facilitate use-inspired research in emerging technologies; (2) developing credentialed workforce training programs leveraging experiential learning methodologies; and (3) supporting faculty and staff expertise development in grant seeking and technology transfer to increase formal proposals and agreements between institutions and industry partners. Deliverables include a public-facing virtual playbook and website documenting lessons learned and best practices to support small and medium-sized businesses and smaller institutions of higher education in accessing innovation opportunities and research partnerships.

Abstract

Pristine (partnerships to promote research & innovation for societal impact & novel engagements) is a collaboration among three primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) that are committed to developing academic-industry partnerships to enhance innovation and promote workforce development throughout their regions. The composition of the pristine cohort ? Private and public universities, liberal arts and community colleges, urban and rural communities ? Positions the cohort well to engage and advance the economic viability of small and medium sized businesses not typically able to contribute to use-inspired research (UIR) and/or innovations made possible by emerging technologies. UIR is aimed at solving real-world problems, leading to faster and more effective solutions than any one organization could develop on its own. The effort will establish a community of practice that is designed to build capacity, especially at smaller institutions of higher education and puis, to develop, implement, and strengthen external research innovation partnerships in emerging technologies. Pristine will enhance the cohort?s individual and collective capacities to: cultivate external partnerships that will attract research funding and facilitate UIR in emerging technology fields; leverage our expertise in experiential learning to develop credentialed workforce training programs; and support faculty and staff to deepen their expertise around grant seeking and technology transfer to increase the number of formal proposals and agreements between institutions and industry partners. The cohort intends to develop resources and training in these areas for faculty and industry partners, and disseminate their learnings through a public-facing virtual playbook/website. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.