LEWISTON – Bates College is one of 11 institutions of higher education named by the National Community-Based Research Networking Initiative to receive funding for innovative community-based research projects.

Of nearly 100 proposals, the 11 were selected for their innovation and anticipated contributions to the field of community-based research that engages faculty, students and community stakeholders in creating social change.

Each project is built on the foundation of a strong existing CBR program that will provide the infrastructure necessary to involve students, faculty and community partners in innovative research projects that will be developed, documented and shared through grant funding.

“We are particularly enthusiastic about this project because it yokes Bates’ commitments to rigorous undergraduate research and to substantive community partnership, empowering students to bring each to the service of the other,” says Anna Sims Bartel, associate director of Bates’ Harward Center for Community Partnerships. Bartel led the crafting of the proposal.

The Harward Center maintains partnerships, many spanning a decade or more, with more than 120 community organizations. This community work was nurtured early on through the Bates Center for Service-Learning, established in 1995 as one of the first of its kind. The commitment to community partnerships was extended by the 2005 formation of the Harward Center, which now houses the Service-Learning Program.