Academia

Build the Team Your Research Deserves

Complex challenges rarely yield to a single discipline. The Auster Center helps Tufts researchers find and build the academic collaborations—within Tufts and beyond—that bring the right expertise to the right problem.

The Power of Transdisciplinary Collaboration

Some of the most important research breakthroughs happen at the intersection of fields. A materials scientist partnering with a policy researcher. A biomedical engineer collaborating with a behavioral economist. An AI lab working alongside a public health team.

The Auster Center actively cultivates these connections—identifying where complementary expertise exists across Tufts' schools and among our broader network of university collaborators, and helping you build productive, lasting research relationships.

Types of Academic Collaboration We Facilitate

Cross-School Collaboration at Tufts

Tufts spans engineering, medicine, dental medicine, arts and sciences, nutrition, veterinary medicine, and more. We help researchers connect across schools to form transdisciplinary teams that strengthen proposals and expand research scope.

Consortium and Multi-Institution

Proposals Many of the most significant funding opportunities—from NSF to NIH to DOD—favor or require multi-institution teams. We help identify the right partners, structure the collaboration, and build the consortium that makes your proposal competitive.

University-to-University Collaborations

Connect with researchers at peer institutions who bring complementary expertise, unique facilities, or access to different populations and datasets. We facilitate introductions and help structure agreements that make collaboration straightforward.

Academic-to-Industry Bridges

Academic partnerships often open doors to industry. A joint research program with another university can attract corporate co-sponsors, provide access to real-world validation environments, and generate IP with broader commercial potential.

How the Auster Center Supports Academic Collaboration

Identify Complementary Expertise

We map your research needs to relevant expertise within Tufts and across our broader academic network—surfacing potential collaborators you may not have known to look for.

Structure the Collaboration

Academic collaborations work best with clear expectations. We help you establish roles, responsibilities, IP agreements, and publication frameworks that let the science stay front and center.

Strengthen Funding Applications

Multi-investigator and multi-institution proposals are more competitive—and more complex. We provide proposal development support that integrates multiple team members into a coherent, compelling narrative.

Build Long-Term Research Communities

The strongest academic partnerships aren't one-off projects. We help you build the networks and communities that generate sustained collaboration, shared funding, and growing impact over time.

Ready to Find Your Collaborators?

Tell us about your research and the kind of academic partnership you are looking for. We'll help identify and connect the right team.

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