Kicking off MetroLab’s Local Government Research and Development Agenda
MetroLab Network is set to develop a Local Government Research and Development Agenda to identify the research needs of local governments. The agenda will both inform congressional policy makers and federal agencies and help address those issues by providing local governments with actionable research, science and technology. Inspired by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s R&D Priority Agenda, MetroLab’s ultimate goal is to build an R&D Agenda which serves as a trusted national policy document for local leaders and a roadmap of needed funding opportunities for congressional policy makers and federal agencies.
Why is this program important to our mission? Too often there exists a disconnect between research and local government programs and policies. Why? We believe for two primary reasons:
- research is often pushed, not pulled from local government, and
- research output doesn’t necessarily align with how cities and counties work.
MetroLab intends to travel to twenty different communities to host an R&D agenda workshop. Working collaboratively with mayors and university leaders, these workshops allow MetroLab to better understand best practices in creating actionable research, identify existing barriers, and to locally grow these ecosystems. MetroLab aims to address these challenges by asking cities and counties what they need — and working with university institutions to ensure their research outputs are compatible with local governments’ needs and processes. And by creating a national document, we can inform national programs such that they can serve this work to meet the research needs of our communities.
“This is an ambitious program that will identify the research needs of cities and counties across the country. By outright asking what research is needed to solve complex problems, a local government R&D agenda can better point our research institutions in a direction that will create actionable and impactful outcomes ,” said Kate Burns, Executive Director at MetroLab Network. “We are grateful to Schmidt Futures for supporting this effort, and look forward to working with diverse communities to understand more fully how research can empower city halls and community organizations at scale.”
The inaugural Local Government R&D Workshop was held in collaboration with the Office of Mayor Quinton Lucas and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, bringing together city policy makers, academic researchers and community organization leaders in Kansas City. There they were able to develop a greater understanding of Kansas City’s research needs amid fostering greater relationships which will be leveraged into successful partnerships to produce actionable research harmonious with the City of Kansas City’s processes.
“As Kansas City’s top research university, the relationship between UMKC and the City of Kansas City is vital,” said UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal. “When we closely collaborate with the community, we’re able to align UMKC’s advanced innovation capabilities with the city’s needs, ensuring that the solutions we generate have a direct, positive impact on the quality of lives of our residents. It’s important to note that our university’s community partnerships are not just about advancing academic inquiry — they are about building a stronger, more resilient Kansas City.”
Cities today are on the front lines of addressing some of the most difficult and complex challenges, and Kansas City is no exception. “If we want to make positive, lasting progress on the most pressing challenges facing our cities — from gun violence and homelessness to transportation and traffic safety — we must be able to access and understand cutting-edge research and innovation,” said Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. “MetroLab is working to make it possible for policymakers across the nation to influence the creation and pioneer the implementation of evidence-based solutions and research to help us build more equitable and thriving communities.” Bringing together policy makers & implementers from the City of Kansas City with innovators and researchers from local academic institutions and community organizations, MetroLab was able to identify the pressing policy research needs of the City of Kansas City.
Over the past month our team at MetroLab has hit the ground running, bringing on a dedicated staff member to this program, forming a steering committee, and hosting our first community workshop traveling to Kansas City, Missouri. Local governments and academic institutions who would like to become involved in this effort should visit our website to fill out an interest form, or contact the Local Gov R&D team at info@metrolabnetwork.org.
