Sometimes a small research institute does not always have the staff to promote its programs and findings effectively. What can you do to improve outreach efforts? Don't reinvent the wheel. Do what you do best and repurpose as much as you can.
1. Goals & purpose for outreach To attract and train the best and most diverse students To enhance and expand our multidisciplinary research projects To translate our IP into technology that will serve humanity
2. Target Audiences Missed Opportunities Educators Patients Donors Small companies Collaborators Faculty Internal Media
3. Outreach Activities Professional Development Seminars* Annual Magazine Mini Symposiums*Events/Festivals Multidisciplinary Clinics*Newsletters Twitter Annual ReportPress Releases Face-to-Face* Annual Symposium* Communications Workshop* Research Laboratory Workshops*Website Company Visit Days* FacebookAnimations Conferences Lectures Visiting ProfessorshipsFlyers/FAQ Sheets Interviews College Recruiting EventsInternships* Collaborations *Active* versus Passive Activities
4. Measure of success? Staff: 2 8; Funding: 1 grant ($3M) 43 ($58M); Students: 5 IGERT 38 in various programs; Postdocs: 0 8; Corporate Partners: 1 8; Faculty: 8 (executive committee) 220+
5. Conclusions/Recommendations Set a few, focused objectives: What do you want to accomplish? Leverage available resources. - Externally, assign staff members to promote your agenda within their job descriptions (eg. Who is keeping your agenda on the media radar?) - Internally, what do you do well? Get buy-in from all participants associated with your group so that they become outreach vehicles for you. If something’s not working, stop doing it.