Matching strategies to support organizational culture change: Enhancing faculty research translation via continuation of the Promotion & Tenure – Innovation & Entrepreneurship (PTIE) project

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are charged to drive social change and economic development, yet they face a crescendo of criticism for failing to adequately address societal challenges (Păunescu et al., 2022). A key barrier being a deficit in translation of research into practices and useable structures (Martin et al., 2019). Addressing this gap requires reforming entrenched organizational norms, particularly within faculty reward systems. "Broadening the bar" on faculty promotion and tenure (P&T) criteria to better recognize research translation efforts can reshape how faculty and universities can perceive and enhance their roles and contributions to the greater good (O'Meara, 2010; National Academies, 2020).

This poster presents strategies and resources developed through the NSF-funded Promotion & Tenure – Innovation & Entrepreneurship (PTIE) Project, a global movement launched in 2019 to support the inclusive recognition of innovation and & entrepreneurship (I&E) effort in faculty promotion, tenure and advancement guidelines and practices. Over five years, PTIE has engaged more than 65 institutions and 10 national stakeholders in co-creating (based on participants' organizational realities and needs) tools to support realignment of academic structures and faculty research translation activities.

We also introduce a subsequent project that is both supporting and investigating usage of some PTIE strategies by institutions each enacting an institution-specific NSF Advancing Research Translation (ART) project. Through a review of 14 ART grant proposals and interviews with institutional representatives, we identified shared theories of action across these ART institutions' alignment of faculty P&T to advance research translation (RT). Our analysis reveals key characteristics in approaching organizational change toward RT: fostering commercialization, encouraging conversation, building a change-ready workforce, and conveying success internally. We share how these attributes will inform our support and study of these ART institutions, including regarding their use of PTIE project resources.