Strategic Partnerships
We believe that smart, strategic partnerships with government have the potential to improve people’s lives.
Society’s most pressing issues can only be solved when all sectors – public, private, nonprofit, academic – bring their best thinking to building solutions. The Colorado Lab fosters partnerships with leaders at all levels of state and local government, as well as with subject matter experts at academic institutions and throughout the community. These partnerships lead to action that changes lives.
State and Local Government
So we listen to our state and local government partners to understand the most pressing challenges they face.
The Colorado Lab’s research agenda is supporting data-driven decision making with respect to the priorities that government sets for themselves. We value the perspectives of government staff at all levels from executive directors to program staff to data analysts. The Lab has multiple pathways to support such as our Call for Research Ideas and Cross-System Business Analytic Support for the Governor’s Cabinet.
Our research priorities include:
- Move electric grid to renewable sources by 2040
- Foster an economy that works for everyone
- Fulfill every child’s potential regardless of zip code
- Save Coloradans money on healthcare
- Reduce recidivism for adults and juveniles
- Prevention/intervention: child welfare, justice-involved youth
- Cross-system solutions for Coloradans
Research Community
Then, we activate the research community to work with those partners to generate insights.
Colorado has a rich talent base of academic researchers. The Colorado Lab serves as a hub for connecting government partners to researchers who can design high-quality studies that are responsive to government goals. The Colorado Lab serves as a bridge and translator between state and local government and the academic community throughout the life of projects. The Lab supports leveraging administrative data assets to meet project goals and can offer assistance with data security. For all projects, the Lab facilitates proactive and timely communication to those well positioned to use the information to make decisions.
360° View
Together, we take a 360-degree view of problems, focusing on the needs of the whole person.
To make progress toward a 360-degree view, we need to connect data across organizational siloes. The Colorado Lab is investing in infrastructure so that state government can routinely consider the needs of the whole person in context. This makes it possible to better understand and design policies to support experiences like being a parent while attending higher education and needing childcare, accessing housing upon release from prison, and caregivers underutilizing preventative health care while focusing on the needs of their loved ones.
Drive Change
When we do this, we create powerful partnerships that drive change, improving the lives of Colorado residents.
At the Colorado Lab, actionability of research is among the very first things we consider before taking on a new project, and strategic communications to drive change are built into the project design. We partner with agencies to inform prospective legislation, programmatic decisions, and investments. For example, we partnered with state agencies to understand the educational attainment gaps for students in foster care. This research informed educational stability legislation and the development of a new cross-system, innovative program.