CoLab

Name of Concept: CoLab

Overview

"CoLAB" is a virtual lab dedicated to fostering partnerships between disparate labs, academic centers, RIT resources, etc.. The lab would be politically neutral and their only role would be to help initiate, facilitate and promote connections between different individuals and organizations within RIT. Simply, CoLabís charge would be an innovation matchmaker.

Documentation for these collaborations would be internal and external, with all material being shared in a manner that focused on the shared area of interest rather than the department (e.g. colab.rit.edu/journalism would feature the activities OPL / Journalism / Photojournalism partnership).

Facing outward, all CoLAB areas of interest would also have a responsibility to maintain support materials for the world outside of RIT. A website, www.colabcommunity.org, would be the central portal site and topic areas hosted by RIT but maintained by larger communities that would share resources. This outward-facing resource would support educators and practitioners in the field and, by extension, raise awareness to RIT.

How this idea leverages current areas of RIT expertise

In essence the model actively facilitates what individuals at RIT already try to do: collaborate around topics of mutual interest. Simply, let people do what they do best, but give them more incentive to do that together.

In practice, the success of research labs like the OPL (opl.rit.edu ) are built on this premise: leverage student, faculty and staff resources from different parts of RIT around a single research project. In this light, two of the first RIT case studies of the CoLAB model could be the Wallace Center / OPL partnership on the "Book Bag Framework" or the emerging OPL / Journalism / Photojournalism partnership focused on the future of journalism. These are two examples of the many on campus and, like most, take a lot of work to make happen.

Main RIT on-campus champion(s) for this idea

The Open Publishing Lab, Michael Riordan, Patricia Albanese

Additional on-campus champions willing to collaborate with this individual and take a lead role in driving the idea

Academic programs (e.g. Journalism, Photojournalism)

Non-academic units (e.g. Wallace Center, Print Applications Lab)

Other willing parties with common interests

Is there potential off-campus advocacy and support for the idea?

Yes, Knight Foundation, NEH Digitial Humanities, Ford Foundation

Are you aware of another university that is working on a similar idea? If yes, which one?

Not directly, although the model is one that I'm certain exists. MIT has a lab by the same name with a different purpose.

How you envision this idea advancing RIT's national or global stature in an important or emerging field

There are two different aspects to this: 

RIT improves its internal networking and leverages resources in new and more meaningful ways. As individuals, the faculty, staff and students at RIT are very talented and have enormous potential. By collaborating efforts in a way that is intuitive and unrestricted, theyíll reach that potential.

Outside of RIT, by engaging the communities at large with the same topics of interest, RIT becomes positioned at the center of the dialogue on the topic. For research and recruiting alike, this can only benefit RIT.

Why you believe RIT has a unique opportunity or an ability to differentiate itself through this idea

The CoLab model represents a powerful model for encouraging people of varying disciplines to work together. It maximizes resources and gives incentive to connect students, faculty and staff from otherwise disconnected program areas around topics of mutual interest. It transcends the academic units and fosters respect for different skills and perspectives. It encourages RIT to work to its potential internally and, where applicable, extend its reach to directly engage with the broader communities outside of RIT with common interest.

For RIT's Center for Student Innovation, the CoLab model gives this center a defined purpose: to internally support the connections between individuals and departments that make innovation viable and to connect with the communities outside of RIT to make broaden the dialogue and extend awareness.