University Research Should Be Driven By Societal Needs - U.S. Expert

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Universities and research centers should accelerate the transfer of scientific findings to society and define research agendas based on people's real needs. Karen Chapple made the remarks during an international roundtable on“Education and Professional Training” held within the framework of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Trend reports.

She said that turning academic research into practical outcomes often takes a long time.“From preparing grant applications to field research, writing academic papers, and publishing in peer-reviewed journals, it can take up to five years. After that, only a small portion reaches the public. Meanwhile, people absorb and use information much more quickly,” she emphasized.

Chapple stressed the need to strengthen links between universities and local communities.

“We have not fully used the opportunity to shape research questions based on societal needs. In most cases, research is conducted first, and only afterward its relevance to people is assessed. This approach needs to change,” she said.

She noted that her“School of Cities” center operates based on this principle.

According to her, the“Downtown Recovery” project, which tracks the revitalization of city centers, analyzed urban development dynamics across North America and Europe using mobile phone data.

The project attracted wide international media attention, helping identify what issues people are most interested in.

“People were particularly interested in which economic models are more resilient and how public transport systems recover after crises. We then directed our subsequent research toward answering these questions,” she said.

Chapple added that in the modern era, academic publishing alone is not enough to reach broad audiences.

“We use maps, data visualization, videos, policy briefs, and short analytical reports. Our research is shared on platforms such as Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and our database receives over one million views annually,” she said.

She also emphasized the importance of training programs that teach the practical use of new tools and digital platforms.

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