Community-Engaged Research

At UConn, community-engaged research is a collaborative approach to scholarship that advances knowledge while addressing community-identified priorities and societal challenges. Community members, organizations, and stakeholders are recognized as valued partners in the creation, interpretation, and application of knowledge.

Community partners may contribute to identifying research questions, shaping project design, collecting and interpreting data, disseminating findings, and translating research into action. By integrating academic expertise with community knowledge and lived experience, community-engaged research creates opportunities for meaningful impact while advancing scholarship.

Community-engaged research reflects UConn’s commitment to public engagement, reciprocal partnerships, and research that contributes to the well-being of Connecticut, the nation, and the world. Its hallmark is the intentional integration of scholarly rigor with mutually beneficial outcomes for both communities and the university.

Principles of Community-Engaged Research

Community-engaged research at UConn is guided by principles that promote equitable partnerships, shared learning, and sustainable impact. These principles are informed by the Community-Engaged Research Framework developed by NORC at the University of Chicago, as well as established community-engaged research literature and best practices.

Do No Harm
- Research should be conducted with an understanding of its broader social, cultural, historical, and political contexts. Researchers strive to minimize unintended consequences and protect the well-being, dignity, and interests of individuals and communities.
Share Power and Decision-Making
- Community members are valued partners in the research process. Researchers seek to create equitable opportunities for participation, shared leadership, and collaborative decision-making throughout all phases of a project.
Practice Transparency
- Trust is built through open and honest communication. Researchers and community partners should communicate clearly about goals, expectations, methods, findings, and limitations throughout the partnership.
Foster Mutual Accountability
- Successful partnerships are built on shared responsibility. Researchers and community partners collaboratively establish roles, expectations, and decision-making processes that promote respect, accountability, and mutual benefit.
Promote Accessibility and Inclusion
- Meaningful engagement requires reducing barriers to participation. Community-engaged research should support inclusive practices, equitable compensation when appropriate, flexible engagement opportunities, and broad representation of community perspectives.
Build Community Capacity
- Strong partnerships create benefits that extend beyond a single project. Community-engaged research should strengthen community knowledge, skills, resources, leadership, and organizational capacity while fostering sustainable relationships.

Approaches to Community-Engaged Research

Community-engaged research exists along a continuum of partnership and participation. Projects may involve varying levels of community engagement depending on their goals, context, and community needs.

Community-Engaged Research (CEnR)
- Community-engaged research encompasses a broad range of approaches that incorporate community stakeholders, perspectives, and priorities throughout the research process. These approaches vary in the degree of community participation, leadership, and shared decision-making.
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)
- Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a widely used form of community-engaged research that emphasizes equitable partnerships between community and academic stakeholders. CBPR involves shared leadership, responsibility, and decision-making throughout all phases of the research process.

Through community-engaged research, UConn faculty, students, staff, and community partners work together to generate knowledge, address pressing societal challenges, and create lasting positive change.

Navigating IRB and Community-Engaged Research

Community-engaged research involving human participants may require review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). UConn’s Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) offers resources to help researchers and community partners understand these requirements.

Workshop Recording

Learn how to navigate IRB requirements when conducting community-engaged research

Video

Questions About IRB?

UConn Storrs HRPP/IRB Administration: https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/rics/irb/irb-contacts/
UConn Health Human Subjects Protection Program: https://ovpr.uchc.edu/services/rics/hspp/contacts/

CITI Training for Community Partners

Community partners who participate in research activities involving human participants—such as recruitment, informed consent, data collection, or direct interaction with participants—must complete human subjects protection training.

To make training more accessible, UConn offers the CITI Community Research Partner Training, a streamlined training program designed specifically for community partners. Unlike the traditional Social and Behavioral Research curriculum, which may take approximately four hours to complete, the Community Research Partner Training consists of eight shorter modules that can typically be completed in one to two hours

The training covers:

· Ethical principles for human subjects research

· Participant protections

· Confidentiality and privacy requirements

· Responsibilities of community research partners

Accessing CITI Training

Community research partners who need access to UConn resources, including CITI training, must be sponsored by a UConn researcher for a UConn NetID. Principal Investigators or research team members can request affiliate access through UConn’s Identity and Access Management system.

Learn more about affiliate NetID sponsorship: https://iam.uconn.edu/affiliate-request/

Learn more about CITI training: https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/rics/responsible-conduct-of-research/online-rcr-training/

Use this checklist during project planning and throughout the life of a community-engaged research partnership to help ensure clear communication, shared expectations, and equitable collaboration.

Compensating Community Partners

Download the Research Partnership Checlist (PDF)

Compensating community partners is an important component of equitable and ethical community-engaged research. Community members contribute valuable expertise, lived experience, time, and effort to research partnerships. Appropriate compensation recognizes these contributions, helps reduce barriers to participation, and supports more inclusive and sustainable engagement.

UConn encourages faculty and staff to consider compensation for community partners during project planning and budgeting.

UConn Compensation Resources

A guide outlining available mechanisms and considerations for compensating community partners. Lessons Learned for Navigating Community Partner Compensation Within University Protocols (PDF)
Developed by Mary Buchanan, CIRCA Community Resilience Planner, this resource highlights practical strategies and lessons learned for navigating compensation processes at UConn.
The principles described above are informed by established community-engaged research literature and frameworks, including:
Ubri, P., Sanghera, A., Avripas, S., & Johnson-Turbes, A. (2025). The Community-Engaged Research Framework. NORC at the University of Chicago.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (2025). Principles of Community Engagement (3rd ed.). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Urban Institute. Community-Engaged and Participatory Methods Toolkits (CEM Toolkit). A collection of practical resources, tools, and guides for building equitable community partnerships, compensating community partners, establishing advisory boards,
conducting participatory research, and incorporating community-engaged methods into research, policy, and program planning. https://www.urban.org/projects/cem-toolkit
For additional information about community-engaged research opportunities, resources, and partnerships at UConn, please contact the Office of Outreach and Engagement.

Community Engaged Research