Imagine a community activist and elected official sitting alongside a sustainability expert and brainstorming about a local project that combines research and action. Or a student entrepreneur pitching a new product idea to a Cincinnati-based manufacturer with global reach. Or researchers from different colleges focused on solving the same pernicious societal challenge comparing notes and planning a new partnership.

Those scenes—along with lectures by national experts in healthcare, the humanities and more—fill an entire week during the University of Cincinnati’s Research + Innovation Week, April 9-13, sponsored by the University’s Office of Research.

"This year’s theme – industry, innovation and infrastructure for enhanced well-being and livelihoods – allows our faculty, staff and students to join in conversation with community leaders, and industry and government officials" says Pat Limbach, Vice President for Research, Professor of Chemistry and Ohio Eminent Scholar. "Consistent with the goals of Next Lives Here , we are not only highlighting the impact of our scholarship and creative activities at UC, but also setting the stage for enhancing it."

Limbach, who leads the Next Lives Here Urban Futures pathway, explains that Research + Innovation Week has been designed to both highlight innovation and research at the University and spotlight the essential role that the public plays in turning research into reality—from clinical trials to policy development; from civic art projects to social justice initiatives.

"Faculty have taken charge of Research + Innovation Week," adds Jennifer H. Krivickas, Assistant Vice President for Integrated Research, who oversees planning and preparations for the event. "Giving them the space to connect, to interact and to share their work helps us all see the potential impact of UC beyond our campus."

Highlights from the week include:

• Monday, April 9: Ethics in Acute Care, 8 am-noon, Cincinnati Children’s Location SI 203
• Tuesday, April 10: The Power of Sensors and Water: Abundance and Resilience, 9-11 am, Kingsgate Marriott
• Wednesday, April 11: Social Sciences and Cancer Research, 2-3 pm, Kingsgate Marriott
• Thursday, April 12: Hutton Ethics Lecture: Dr. Holly Taylor, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, talks about informed consent, noon-1 pm, Medical Sciences Building E351. Register.

See a complete list of Research + Innovation Week events, including a faculty awards celebration on Friday, April 13, online.