Sustaining Research Infrastructure Development: Benchmarking Current NIH Efforts and Strategizing Next Steps

The Task Force on Social Work Research (TFSWR) declared that “a crisis in the current development of research resources in social work… has serious consequences for individuals using social work services, for professional practitioners, for the credibility of the profession, and for the American society. (TFSWR, 1991, p. viii).” This declaration galvanized numerous efforts across social work education, research, practice and policy to focus on strengthening the social work research enterprise. Now, nearly two decades later, social work researchers have made major contributions in research across the life span and in substance abuse, health and mental health, child welfare, education, policy, practice, and other domains. Perhaps paradoxically, during this period of research resurgence, NIH support has not been commensurate.

This roundtable will frame the status of social work research development and research grant acquisition at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the past 15 years, recognizing that building research capacity that can contribute to research success requires not only vision, strategic hiring, interdisciplinary collaboration and technical expertise but as well a number of organizational and institutional attributes of schools of social work and also strategic partnerships with research funders. It is a combination of these factors that has led to the growing number of social workers funded by NIH. Attributes of universities, strategic infrastructure developments, and federal advocacy and investments will be described and participants will be engaged in exploring next steps for sustaining and continuing to strengthen the social work research enterprise.

Presenter One will provide an in-depth analysis of the IASWR Directory of Social Work Research Grants Awarded by NIH 1993-2005, examining organizational and institutional factors associated with having an “accumulative advantage” in securing NIH grant awards, by using data from the Lombardi Program on Measuring University Performance, CSWE, and American Association of University Professors, among other sources.

Presenter Two will provide an analysis of the promise versus the achievements of NIH investments in social work research over the past decade, including the 2003 NIH Plan for Social Work Research and the three companion social work research Program Announcements. Gaps and challenges will be explored and recommendations for future actions will be suggested, especially to engage researchers and universities not already in the NIH pipeline through removing existing disincentives and barriers.

Presenter Three will provide a bird's-eye view from university administration of how a social work program and its faculty can become more engaged in externally funded research, especially when a university is well-funded externally and the social work program is working to redefine its scope and mission.

Presenter Four will address executive and legislative branch strategies to enhance the social work research infrastructure and will facilitate the discussion to identify strategies and next steps to expand success to a larger cohort of social work researchers and to research funders beyond NIH.

Task Force on Social Work Research. (1991). Building Social Work Knowledge for Effective Services and Policies: A Plan for Research Development. Retrieved April 24, 2008 from www.iaswresearch.org.