Collaborations

The Policy DA has partnered with Destination Areas as well as other Virginia Tech departments and divisions to promote interdisciplinary collaboration. These joint activities include participation in or sponsorship of workshops and conferences and potential development of interdisciplinary curriculum and research.

• Beyond Boundaries Event: Generous Thinking and the Future of the University
  This university-wide event, co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Center for Humanities, Institute for Society, Culture and Environment, Policy Destination Area, VT Carilion School of Medicine and University Libraries, and held in October 2019, included a series of four talks and discussions that featured Kathleen Fitzpatrick, a renowned scholar and author of the book, Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University. Click here for the event flier.  

• Collaborative Seed Grants: Transdisciplinary Communities: Addressing Complex Problems that Impact the Human Condition
  This joint call for proposals, issued in fall 2019 by the Office for Learning Systems Innovation and Effectiveness, Destination Areas and Virginia Tech investment institutes, was designed to foster collaborative efforts that include public involvement in projects to impact the human condition and result in external funding. Click here to view the Call for Proposals. Projects will be conducted in 2020.
  

• Collaborative Seed Grants: Advancing Transdisciplinary Communities in Rural Health Research
  This joint call for proposals by the Office for Learning Sytems Innovation and Effectiveness and the Virginia Tech investment institutes was developed to foster collaborative, transdisciplinary research efforts and to enhance the competitiveness for defined external support in areas that address issues related to rural health. Click to view the Call for Proposals. Projects will be conducted through 2019.

• Support of the 2018 STGlobal Consortium Conference
  The STGlobal Consortium represents five universities interested in advancing science and technology studies and policy. Each year, the consortium organizes an international student conference in Washington DC to "inspire and challenge students to contribute to the forefront of research on science and technology policy and social issues, and to foster mutual understanding in the science and technology community.

• Support of the Vibrant Virginia Initiative
  Vibrant Virginia is a newly formed initiative that will promote Virginia Tech faculty involvement in community and economic development in urban and rural Virginia. The program, supported by Virginia Tech's Outreach and International Affairs, Virginia Cooperative Extension, College Access Collaborative, School of Public and International Affairs and the Policy Strategic Growth Area (now the Policy DA), was piloted in 2018-2019 in four regions of Virginia and focused on key societal issues.

• Organization  of three policy-relevant sessions at the Beyond Boundaries and Equity and Social Disparity in the Human Condition Strategic Growth Area Advancing Human Condition Symposium
  The goal of this three-day symposium, held November 28-30, 2017, was to foster intellectual discourse around emerging questions of the human condition from multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Click to view the symposium agenda.

• Co-sponsorship of the Global Systems Science (GSS) DA and Policy SGA (PSGA) Synergies and Opportunities Workshop
  The goals of this day-long event, held on September 29, 2017, were to identify areas for collaborative synergy and cooperation between the GSS DA and Policy Strategic Growth Area (now the Policy DA) and showcase a model for future DA/SGA collaboration and shared innovation. Click to view the workshop agenda.