Evaluating Northern Forest Stakeholder Perceptions of the NSRC

The NSRC commissioned the Carsey Institute to evaluate the NSRC program by conducting surveys of program stakeholders. Findings will help NSRC understand its impact and pinpoint ways to improve the relevance and delivery of its sponsored research.

Results of the evaluation are mixed. Principal investigators (PIs) who have benefited most from NSRC hold positive perceptions of its value and operations. They rated highly NSRC grant making and efforts to achieve its mission. With the exception of the few who have collaborated with PIs, other Northern Forest stakeholders who know the program like the concept but say it has little impact on their work. They have difficulty accessing the research or find the research does not meet their needs. In particular, they are looking for more topics relevant to economic and community development.

NSRC PIs and other stakeholders had ideas for ways to improve NSRC's outreach and dissemination. Most are variations on two themes: increase publicity about the program and findings of projects, particularly through the NSRC website, e-mail, and other online means of communication; and increase opportunities for NSRC researchers to engage with practitioners and other stakeholders through presentations and collaborations. In particular, respondents recommended that NSRC: increase responsiveness of academic researchers to needs of stakeholders for more research targeting issues related to the Northern Forest economy and its communities; require that project proposals include plans for utilization and for dissemination of research products to non-scientist stakeholders; facilitate opportunities for grantees to communicate research in venues where scientist/non-scientist professional fields overlap; and improve the NSRC website’s visibility and usability. 

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