The Joint Institute was highlighted in a recent research development conference as a success story of international research collaboration.

Global REACH Director for Asia Programs Amy Huang and Joint Institute (JI) Program Manager Melissa Li delivered an overview of the international partnership at this year’s conference of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP), Great Lakes Region. NORDP is the only professional association dedicated to research development in the academic setting.

“Supporting research is central to our mission at the JI, but the international nature of our collaboration adds layers of complexity to our partnership,” said Huang, MD, MHSA. “Our talk focused on how we approach those nuances.”

The NORDP Great Lakes Region includes five Midwestern states as well as the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. More than 100 people attended the virtual meeting, held over three days in late January.

Huang and Li’s break-out session, When West Meets East: A Unique Partnership Model for International Research, was the only agenda item devoted specifically to international collaborations. Their presentation covered the JI’s history and structure, successes to date, and non-research programs (i.e., training and exchange) that have arisen from the collaboration.

“The information was well received. We fielded general questions about challenges and specific inquiries about our financial model, which is a little bit different because we’re supporting international teams,” said Li, PhD. “It was a great discussion and nice to share the JI’s successes with colleagues at peer institutions.”