Cross-Institutional Collaborations to Cultivate Translational Scientists: Implications for Broadening Participation and Workforce Development in US Higher Education.

This perspective describes a cross-institutional collaboration designed to expand access to authentic translational science training between the University of Connecticut Health Center (UConn Health), part of the R1 research university of UConn, and the University of Hartford (UHart), a private university with a strong undergraduate teaching mission located in close proximity. The collaboration integrates selected UHart undergraduates into federally funded biomedical translational laboratories at UConn Health through co-mentorship and shared research activities, providing exposure to clinically relevant research environments that are often unavailable at undergraduate-focused institutions. The partnership has already produced student-authored publications, successful matriculation into graduate programs, and preparation for STEM careers. For UConn Health, the collaboration has expanded research capacity, broadened the trainee pipeline, and improved external funding competitiveness. We believe this collaboration represents a scalable, low-barrier model for developing the next generation of translational scientists and propose it as a scalable strategy to reduce barriers to research training and strengthen the US biomedical workforce.