Enabling Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives

RL&D provides strategic planning, partnering, development and enabling services for cross-cutting research initiatives. In collaboration with our colleagues in the Research Area and across campus, we provide a range of services and resources in support of innovative translational research. A primary objective of RL&D is to help interdisciplinary research groups sieze large-scale opportunities that require the participation of diverse campus constituencies and off-campus collaborators, including other academic institutions, governent agencies and private sector partners.

The services RL&D can provide are largely dependent on the needs of the interdisciplinary research group. They include:

proposal support (including strategic development, project management, partnering, initiative marketing, background research and analysis, writing);
liaison to state, industry, and academic institutions on a regional, national, and international level;
crafting communications designed to showcase UMass Amherst research excellence.

Already, UMass Amherst is home to 70+ Research Centers and Institutes. The campus is invested in building more interdisciplinary research programs, which frequently also require external support beyond what's available through individual academic departments. Embarking on a campus-wide research initiative is a bit like starting your own business, with similar opportunities and challenges. Our mission is to increase the likelihood of success for these kinds of initiatives that have tremendous potential to stimulate interdisciplinary research and expand sponsored activities.

RL&D has been involved with the development and launch of many interdisciplinary research initiatives including:

MassNanoTech
Institute for Cellular Engineering (ICE)
Pioneer Valley Technology Innovation Development Exchange (PVTIDE)
Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response Institute (SEPRI)
Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI)
Center for Collaborative, Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA)
e-Design Center
Virtual Center for Supernetworks

Contact the RL&D staff to learn what we can do for you.