Our Mission
Building on the unique culture and values that are foundational to minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs), we partner to:
- Strengthen researchers' capacity to compete for federal and private sector funding, and to develop partnerships with other organizations,
- Inspire institutional cultures that value and promote research, and integrate it into the learning enterprise,
- Enhance research infrastructure and capacity,
- Broaden access to research resources, laboratories, and equipment via partnerships with other institutions and regional consortia, and
- Magnify the visibility and competitive reputation of MSIs and ERIs in the research enterprise.
Program History
In 2019, the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the Director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) engaged the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) to discuss strategies for growing research capacity and competitiveness within HBCUs.
DESIRED STRATEGIES INCLUDED:
- Assisting HBCU faculty with developing long-term plans for individual research programs and career trajectories,
- Building sustainable expertise in ideation,
- Identifying appropriate funding sources,
- Engaging with funding organizations,
- Developing competitive grant proposals,
- Building and working in teams
- Collaborating with other institutions, and
- Mentoring post-docs and graduate and undergraduate students.
From these discussions, and with the generous support of the Schmidt Futures program, Dr. Kimberly Eck launched the NORDP Consultants Program in the summer of 2021 to jumpstart and accelerate the growth of research capacity at MSIs and ERIs.
