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About TRAC

Launched in February 2024, the Translating Research into Action Center (TRAC) is strengthening American University's capacity to help new knowledge reach beyond academia and expand its societal and economic impact. The center connects AU's discoveries and expertise with people, organizations, and communities to guide decisions and policies, improve practice, and drive innovation.

TRAC's work centers on four interconnected areas:

  • Research: Studying how research translation works, identifying effective methods, and sharing best practices that help researchers increase the impact of their work.
  • Training: Equipping emerging scholars with the skills to translate their research for audiences beyond academia and pursue careers that put their expertise into practice.
  • Seed Projects: Providing funding, expertise, and hands-on support to help promising research move toward practical application and societal impact.
  • Institutionalization: Embedding research translation into the university's culture, policies, and infrastructure to sustain TRAC's work for the long term.

TRAC collaborates with colleagues across American University and with external partners including the University of Michigan, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the University of Denver and Penn State University to advance evidence-driven policy and practice.

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TRAC is funded, in part, through a $5.7M grant from the National Science Foundation Accelerating Research Translation program under Award No. 2331399.

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.