CSEA Research Partnerships
What if Arctic research began not in a lab or at a funding agency, but instead with the questions Arctic communities themselves are asking?
CSEA welcomes Arctic community-initiated, community-serving projects. If your community has a challenge or priority that research could help address, we are here to support you.
Our role is to help you shape your ideas into clear research goals, outcomes, and a timeline that fits your needs. From there, we work to connect you with a team of skilled researchers—whether at Virginia Tech or another institution—who have the right expertise to support your project. We also help identify potential funding opportunities and assist with grant proposal writing, so your project has the resources it needs to succeed.
Many of these larger research projects begin as short-term consultations through our Community Lab, but that is not a requirement. Whether or not your project starts there, our commitment is the same: to help you use research as a tool for solving problems, supporting local priorities, and strengthening the future of your community.
Communities also have the opportunity to participate in our online CSEA Research Partnership Jamborees.
If your community is interested in developing a project partnership, we invite you to reach out and start the conversation.
CSEA also works with researchers who are looking for Arctic community partners. Whether you already have a project idea and team or are just beginning to think about possibilities, you can contact us to learn more about how to partner effectively with communities.
All researchers who wish to connect through CSEA first take part in Arctic community engagement training. After training, your project idea and research skills will be added to our roster of potential collaborators. If a community brings forward a need that aligns with your expertise, CSEA will share that information with them so they can decide if the “fit” is right.
Researchers also have the opportunity to participate in our online CSEA Research Partnership Jamborees.
Research Partnership Jamborees
To bring communities and researchers together, CSEA hosts Research Partnership Jamborees, which are held online and recorded for easy participation and review. These events unfold in two parts.
Part 1: Community Presentations — Arctic communities present their needs and interests, with CSEA facilitating the process to make participation simple and to minimize extra labor.
Part 2: Researcher Presentations — After hearing directly from communities, researchers present their ideas, incorporating what they learned in Part 1.
From this two-part exchange, communities and researchers can identify areas of overlap and potential collaboration. CSEA then helps pair them into partnerships that are a good fit, creating opportunities that are both community-led and academically strong.