{"id":248772,"date":"2026-07-30T07:15:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T11:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=248772"},"modified":"2026-07-25T21:43:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T01:43:47","slug":"research-development-it-takes-a-village","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/07\/research-development-it-takes-a-village\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Development \u2013 It Takes a Village"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A group of research development leaders from six public research universities across New England, including UConn, has recently been honored with the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nordp.org\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP)<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Leadership Award. This award recognizes the team\u2019s outstanding contributions to advancing the field of research development.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The New England Public Research Leaders Collaborative includes representatives from the University of Connecticut (UConn), the University of Massachusetts (UMass), the University of Vermont (UVM), the University of New Hampshire (UNH), the University of Maine (UMaine), and the University of Rhode Island (URI).\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Its members include:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Matt Mroz (UConn) <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Riechers (UMass Lowell)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Bethann Valentine (UMass Lowell)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Loren Walker (UMass Amherst)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Jeralyn Haraldsen (UVM)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Michael Thompson (UNH)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mark Milutinovich (UNH)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Saul Allen (UMaine)<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Karen Markin (URI)<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cInternally, we refer to ourselves as the NERDs, for \u2018New England Research Development\u2019 group,\u201d jokes Matt Mroz, UConn\u2019s interim director of research development.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The collaborative was officially convened several years ago under the leadership of now-President Radenka Maric, who was serving as the Vice President for Research at the time.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIt\u2019s a good example of what\u2019s possible when we have leadership that wants collaboration, and will support it, and a group of professionals that understands the value of those connections and will do the work to keep them alive,\u201d says Mroz.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mroz, who was a founding member of the group, recalls the initial establishment period as one of forging enduring research connections. While he acknowledges that the research funding landscape can be competitive, he prefers to look at the potential for collaboration and information-sharing across institutions.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe realized we had a lot in common with these other New England public universities,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was something else there that we hadn\u2019t leveraged. We should talk to one another! So, we started getting this regular group together.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The group meets monthly to discuss challenges and opportunities facing public institutions in the region. They also host yearly in-person summits to strengthen connections and dive deeper into tricky problems.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe&#8217;re continuing to see a growing number of federal funding opportunities that call for regional collaboration, and that&#8217;s especially important for public research universities in New England,\u201d says member Jeralyn Haraldsen, director of research development at UVM. \u201cThrough our regular discussions, the NERDs have built relationships and trust that allow us to connect researchers, form stronger partnerships, and position our institutions to compete more effectively for opportunities that no single university could compete for alone.&#8221; <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With their collective insight, they\u2019ve also innovated new ways to spotlight and advance the vital work of New England RD teams. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Together, the group has forged cross-institutional collaborations, shepherded multi-university grant proposals, and produced an economic impact study showing that federal research dollars flowing to their universities generate nearly $1.7 billion in regional economic activity and support over 12,000 jobs across New England.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This report also revealed that every $10 of federal research expenditure in the region generates an additional $18 of economic activity.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Statistics like this help the public, as well as funding partners, grasp the immense ripple effects of university research.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cPublic research universities contribute in many ways to the states they serve, often with modest resources,\u201d says member Karen Markin, director of research development at URI. \u201cBy joining forces in this collaboration, we can have an even greater impact for our constituencies.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">New England is a national powerhouse of academic activity, including world-class public universities as well as private institutions like Yale, Harvard, and MIT. However, Mroz notes, this latter category of institution has a different sort of research mission; public universities are unique in their obligation to use their public funding to give back to their surrounding communities and states. This common interest unites the missions of New England public research institutions.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As a result of their collaboration, these universities can each be \u201cmore effective at serving the state,\u201d says Mroz.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe\u2019re building collaborations that make us all better. We\u2019re better together rather than as separate competitors,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful thing to be recognized, but the most important thing is to spotlight the cool work that\u2019s happening\u201d in the world of university research development.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New England Public Research Leaders Collaborative takes home NORDP leadership award<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":248776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2429,2076,2461,2235],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2413],"class_list":["post-248772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards-scholarships","category-research","category-staff","category-today-homepage"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-06 12:14:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248918,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248772\/revisions\/248918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/248776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248772"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=248772"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=248772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}