In 2019, a vision for collaboration between the University of Auckland and Penn State led to the establishment of the Collaboration Development Seed Fund to nurture collaborative research and educational initiatives to become sustainable, self-supporting, long-term activities. Two rounds of co-funded seed grant competitions were launched by Penn State Global, the first in 2020 and second in 2023, resulting in a total of 10 cross-university collaboration projects receiving funding. The 18-month term for the 2023-24 seed grant-funded projects recently concluded, with the teams submitting their final reports. The impact of the research efforts and relationships formed between faculty, staff and students from both institutions, however, continues to generate global impact.
The second round of funded projects focused on four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): SDG3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG4: Quality Education, SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG13: Climate Action.
One of the 2023-24 seed grant-funded project teams, "Assessing Climate Futures through Environmental Data Analytics," led by principal investigators (PIs) Erica Smithwick, director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute and associate director of the Institute of Energy and the Environment, Penn State, and George Perry, professor, faculty of science, environment, University of Auckland, worked to establish enduring relationships to support climate resilient communities and capacity building for sustainability. This project supported numerous student-led initiatives, international graduate student collaborations and local climate action projects, and it has resulted in multiple publications. The project cemented sustainable collaborative efforts with ongoing discussions and momentum for a sub-set of impactful projects involving globally engaged transdisciplinary research, according to the researchers.
"Our project reflects the importance of global institutional partnerships while reinforcing that they are best sustained through investment in human relationships and the co-design of local solutions," Smithwick said. "By working with our partners at the Waipapa Taumata Rau/University of Auckland and with local Māori communities, we have identified place-based research projects that will support a more resilient climate future in Aotearoa/New Zealand and which have meaningfully enhanced the educational opportunities of the Penn State students who were involved."
Peter Buck, director of education for Penn State Sustainability, agreed.
