Why Collaboration Between Academics and Practitioners Matters Now?
Drawing on evidence from multiple studies, including one led by Saath’s founder, this four-part series on academic–practitioner collaboration explores why collaboration matters, how partnerships engage across the evidence–utilization spectrum, what barriers stand in the way, and what strategies can make collaboration work.
Picture This
A middle school teacher in Detroit sees how attendance and mental health struggles affect her students’ ability to learn. She knows her kids by name and their story. Meanwhile, an education researcher is analyzing statewide data on chronic absenteeism. On their own, each only sees only part of the picture.
But imagine if they work together - they could design supports that keep students in school and improve learning outcomes. The teacher benefits by having evidence-based tools that help her classroom. The researcher sees her analysis translate into real outcomes. And the education system as a whole, benefits from policies that actually help kids succeed.
Or take a small town in West Virginia, where a paramedic responds daily to opioid overdoses. She knows which neighborhoods are hardest hit and which recovery programs actually help people stay clean. Across the state, a university researcher is analyzing prescription data and overdose rates. Alone, each is fighting the epidemic from one angle.
But consider if the paramedic and the university researcher work together. The paramedic gains new strategies to strengthen recovery programs, the researcher gains richer insights grounded in lived experience, and communities benefit from smarter prevention and treatment approaches that save lives.
These stories point to a bigger truth: Real-world problems are too complex for any one group to solve. Whether it’s climate resilience, the opioid epidemic, education, or public safety, solutions are stronger when academics and practitioners combine their strengths.
That is the promise of collaboration between academics and practitioners: bringing knowledge and action together to tackle our toughest challenges.
Why This Matters Now More than Ever?
Partnerships between academics and practitioners aren’t new—but too often they fall short. Research sits on a shelf instead of guiding decisions and programs execute without the benefit of the best available evidence.
We are at a critical juncture:
· Problems are growing more complex and interconnected.
· Public trust in both higher education and nonprofits is eroding.
· Funding for research and practice is dwindling
· Scarcity is fueling competition among organizations that should be collaborating.
In this environment, collaboration isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. By working together more intentionally, academics and practitioners can stretch limited resources, generate solutions that communities actually trust, and begin to rebuild confidence in the institutions that shape public life.
What’s in it for each group?
The benefits of collaboration ripple in both directions.
For academics: partnerships bring access to richer, real-world data and the satisfaction of seeing research shape actual decisions.
For practitioners: collaborations strengthen credibility, provide evidence for funders and policymakers, and sharpen program design.
For communities: solutions are more relevant, equitable, and sustainable.
Research shows that when collaborations succeed, they not only meet immediate goals but also build trust for the future. That trust is critical—because the challenges we face aren’t going away.
What Common Challenges Stand in the Way?
Of course, collaboration isn’t simple. Academics and practitioners face real hurdles:
Different incentives. Universities reward publications and grants. Practitioners answer to funders, boards, and the communities they serve.
Different timelines. Academic research often moves slowly, while practitioners may need answers yesterday.
Different languages. One speaks in theories and models, the other in client stories and program metrics.
These differences can create misunderstandings and even mistrust. But they also point to why collaboration is needed—each side covers the other’s blind spots.
What Could a Shared Future Look Like?
When knowledge and action come together, everyone wins—researchers, practitioners, and the systems they serve.
The question isn’t whether academics and practitioners should collaborate, it’s how we build the kind of strategic partnerships that make collaboration the natural choice, not the exception (covered in the next writeup - stay tuned).
Let’s talk about how we can support your institution. Contact us at info@saathpartners.com
References
Brunese, P., Lee, M. K., Bessenbacher, A., Raman, A., & Yih, Y. (2023). Maximising the potential of academic–practitioner collaborations in international development. Journal of International Development.
Roper, L. (2002). Achieving successful academic–practitioner research collaborations. Development in Practice.
Fransman, J., & Newman, K. (2019). Rethinking research partnerships: evidence and the politics of participation. Journal of International Development.
Garrett, J. L. (2004). Bridging gaps: collaboration between research and operational organisations. Development in Practice.
·Cottrell, B., & Parpart, J. L. (2006). Academic–community collaboration, gender research, and development: pitfalls and possibilities. Development in Practice.
