Notre Dame Global laid the groundwork for research collaborations at the Global Partners Conference

Research is the vehicle that moves knowledge forward. At the University of Notre Dame, faculty members and student scholars not only conduct extensive research, but are also the connectors who extend the reach of that research beyond the borders of the University’s campus in South Bend.

One of the roles of Notre Dame’s Global Innovation team is to do just that: expand the breadth of Notre Dame’s research through facilitating more international collaboration. And nowhere were the fruits of the Global Innovation team’s efforts more evident than at the Global Partners Conference, held at Notre Dame this fall.

“This inaugural conference built a new Notre Dame platform for convening university representatives from across the globe to share expertise in advancing global research through partnerships,” said Jonathan Noble, Notre Dame Global’s sr. assistant provost for internationalization and global executive director.

Notre Dame Global’s Innovation Team supports the University’s ambition to strengthen international research collaboration and scholarly exchange. Since 2017, Notre Dame Global has awarded 264 grants to Notre Dame faculty in support of their international research and joint research programs are continuing to grow.

As part of the week-long conference, the “connectors”—academic leaders, administrators, and faculty— participated in five panels focused on initiating and deepening global research through collaborative partnerships. Participants were invited to attend informative sessions led by experts in building partnerships with a research focus. They presented on themes such as funding global research, increasing faculty engagement, building institutional capacity for research, and deepening research efforts at Notre Dame’s global locations. The range of topics conveyed an understanding that while each institution has its own distinct goals and challenges in regards to research, they share a common desire to invest in and advance research with a global impact.

The Keough School of Global Affairs also presented a panel titled “Global Collaborations in Education, Research, and Policy Impact” that highlighted the School’s expertise in conducting cutting-edge research around the world to address today's most pressing global challenges in democracy and human rights, peacebuilding, poverty, inequality, and marginalization, and sustainability and environmental justice.

Together with representatives from the research offices of the Ukrainian Catholic University and Durham University, Notre Dame presented its ongoing global research partnerships to conference participants. Programs highlighted included the Notre Dame–Ukrainian Catholic University Faculty Collaboration Grant Program and collaboration grant programs with Durham University, such as the Durham University Travel Grant Program.

Conference participants from institutions with which the University has initiated new research collaboration grant programs also attended, including São Paulo State University (UNESP), through the Notre Dame-São Paulo State University Seed Grant Program and Notre Dame-São Paulo State University Travel Grant. New institutional commitments were also made with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), and Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO) to support faculty mobility and exchanges. Partnerships with notable institutions such as these offer a glimpse of the healthy ground the Global Innovation team has been cultivating to improve and increase collaboration across the globe.

Ed Maginn, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering and associate vice president for research at Notre Dame, who presented at the conference, noted, “Moments of convening like this conference show how engagement in research is critical for furthering the global Catholic mission of the University.” Maginn added, “By strengthening ties among global partners, we encourage research innovation and magnify its impact across the globe.”

The week concluded by looking to the future. In an open discussion moderated by Michael Pippenger, Notre Dame’s vice president and associate provost for internationalization, conference attendees were asked to explore what the future of global education and global research looks like for them. They were also encouraged to work with the global directors in Notre Dame’s 12 global locations to continue forging and developing partnerships. Ultimately, the conference accomplished what it set out to do: pave the way for more conversations, more collaborations, and more convening to come.