Community-Academic Collaboration: A Guide for Faculty and Staff

Whether you're exploring a new partnership or ready to formalize an existing collaboration, this handbook will guide you through the process of establishing a sponsored project agreement with community and organizational partners.

While the process is presented in a logical sequence, every partnership is unique. Depending on your timeline and project needs, some steps may occur simultaneously. 

Research, Grants, and Sponsored Programs (RGSP) partners with faculty and staff throughout the process to help turn collaborative ideas into impactful sponsored projects.

Early engagement can help:

  • Streamline agreement development and review
  • Clarify roles, responsibilities, and expectations
  • Identify compliance and approval requirements
  • Keep your project on track and moving forward

Together, we can build strong community partnerships that create meaningful impact for our students, institution, and communities.

Quick Links

Step 1 - A collaboration opportunity is identified

Most sponsored project collaborations begin when a St. Cloud State University Principal Investigator (PI) and an external partner identify a shared interest, need, or opportunity. These partnerships may emerge through existing professional relationships, community engagement activities, networking events, or discussions focused on addressing a specific challenge or advancing a common goal.
The collaboration may involve research, training, program development, evaluation, technical assistance, or other sponsored activities that align with the missions and priorities of both organizations.
Once a potential collaboration is identified, discuss the potential project with your department and dean or supervisor to assess feasibility, alignment with departmental priorities, and resource availability.
Early planning helps establish a strong foundation for a successful collaboration and a more efficient agreement development process.

Step 2 - Define the project and submit the Sponsored Project Worksheet

Once a collaboration has been established and the project concept is defined, complete the Sponsored Project Worksheet to provide key information about the proposed project, including project stakeholders, scope of work, timeline, budget, and other relevant details.

Step 1. Discuss feasibility of the potential collaborative project with your department and dean/supervisor.

Step 2. Download the interactive external project budget worksheet in Sharepoint to develop a preliminary project budget.  

Step 3. Complete and submit the Sponsored Project Worksheet web form and attach preliminary project budget. You must complete the form in its entirety, as the form will NOT save, since no login is required to submit the form. 

Information needed for the Sponsored Research Worksheet web form:

  • Sponsor contact information,
  • Overview of the project including estimated project dates, scope of work, location of work, benefit to St. Cloud State, student information (if applicable), and intellectual property considerations.
  • Budgetary needs of the project (see Step 2 above)
While the process is outlined in a logical sequence, every collaboration develops differently. In many cases, project planning and consultation with Research, Grants, and Sponsored Programs (Steps 2 and 3) occur simultaneously to keep projects moving forward.

Step 3 - Meet with Research, Grants and Sponsored Programs

Schedule a meeting with our team to discuss:  

  • review project requirements and institutional considerations
  • determine the type of sponsored project agreement/contract will be needed (if any)
  • discuss the internal review and approval process
  • develop a plan and timeline for negotiating the agreement with the partner organization
  • identify any compliance, budgeting, or operational issues that should be addressed early in the process

Early engagement with Research, Grants, and Sponsored Programs helps streamline agreement development, reduce delays, and position your collaboration for success.

Step 4 - Discuss project with your dean/VP/supervisor and initiate internal approvals

To ensure a potential sponsored project is mutually-beneficial to the university and potential sponsor, it is vital to discuss the potential collaboration with your Dean/VP/Supervisor. To initiate the review/approval process, complete the following steps as early as possible because a sponsored research program cannot begin prior to securing institutional approvals:

Step 1. Discuss your potential sponsored project with your department chair/director and dean/supervisorr because your Proposal Approval Form will automatically be routed to them for review and approval. All approvals (signatures) are facilitated electronically in Wizehive and Sponsored Research agreements/contracts/MOUs cannot be developed without all required approvals.

Step 2. Go to the External Proposal & Award Portal and use your your StarID credentials to login.

  • For assistance using the Portal,go to the Portal Tutorial
  • Your portal allows you to save your progress and return to your saved work. 
  • Do not click “Submit” until your application is complete, which includes:
    • Completed Proposal Approval Form application with proposal working draft and proposal budget attached.
    • If applicable, Proposal Approval Form Co-PI(s) Step, ensuring all Co-PI(s) have responded.

Step 2b. If you have one or more St. Cloud State Co-PI's, complete the Proposal Approval Form Co-PI(s) Step  to add Co-PI(s). 

  • This process will trigger a notification to your Co-PIs requiring them to acknowledged participation in the proposal.
  • You can confirm Co-PI(s) have completed in Wizehive by the green box by each person’s name within the Co-PI Step section of your application.

Step 3. If applicable, confirm your Co-PI(s) have complete their Co-PI request forms. Then “Submit” your complete Proposal Approval Form. 

  • The proposal approval form will be automatically routed to obtain the necessary approvals (signatures) from your department chair/director and dean/supervisor.
  • To ensure timely reviews, it is the PI(s) responsibility to ensure department chairs/directors and deans/supervisors know their Proposal Approval Form is coming. See step 1 above.

Step 4. Once your sponsored research project is approved, Research and Sponsored Programs will be in contact to coordinate next steps to finalize the agreement/contract/MOU.

Important: Under Minnesota law, sponsored projects may not begin until a fully executed agreement has been signed by all authorized parties. 

Step 5 - Agreement negotiation process

Once the required information and approvals have been received, the agreement enters the review and negotiation phase.

The timeline for negotiations varies depending on the complexity of the project and how quickly St. Cloud State University and the sponsor can reach agreement on contract terms. Sponsors with experience working with higher education institutions often move through this process more efficiently.

Research, Grants and Sponsored Programs (RGSP) will lead negotiations on behalf of the University and consult with legal counsel as needed to ensure the agreement meets institutional, legal, and compliance requirements.