Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Expertise-based communities are formed by teams of faculty with the same expertise, such as those associated with a core facility or academic program. These communities tend to focus on the university in a local setting, utilizing the knowledge that members have built up over time. Expertise-based communities are great vehicles for shared knowledge and shared equipment. Some examples might include material and manufacturing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber security, bioengineering, power/energy, etc.

Theme-based communities are formed around large research problems and the teams are typically composed of people from very different areas of expertise. If you are looking to develop a solution for a societal problem or trying to branch into a new research area, you should form a Theme-based Community. Some examples of problems that Theme-based Communities might try to solve include social challenges related to new mobility technologies, food insecurity, prevention of antibiotic resistance, urban futures, etc.  

If you are struggling to determine whether you are forming a Theme-based or Expertise-based community, don't fret. The ultimate goal is to develop faculty research communities, regardless of how their activities are characterized or labeled. Pick the one you think is best and move on!

To have your project idea featured on the CECS Communities website, submit a Request for New Expertise or Research Theme Community.

Your submission will be routed to CECS staff for review. Assuming no additional follow-up is needed, you will receive an email confirming your request. Expect your project to appear on the CECS Communities website shortly after confirmation.

Each faculty member may join up to a total of four CECS Communities (Expertise and/or Theme-based).

For funding distribution, if you are a member of one Community, your faculty equivalent in that theme will be 1.0; if you are a member of two Communities, your faculty equivalent in each will be 0.5; and so on, in increments of 0.25.

Yes.

Leaders must commit at least 0.5 of their faculty equivalent to that Community.

All faculty, staff, post-doctoral research fellows, and graduate students are welcome to participate in Expertise and Theme communities.

For the distribution of funding, only tenured and tenure track faculty members from CECS will count in calculating the funding provided in support of building the Community.

If you would like to add collaborators to your Expertise or Theme Community, fill out a request form.

Note that other collaborators may also join your Community.

Yes, you may include any collaborator you like across the UM-Dearborn campus.

For funding purposes, only CECS faculty will count toward the funding allocation for the Community. Participation of faculty from across the UM-Dearborn campus is encouraged and desirable.

Once the faculty have joined a community, the leader may request funds from IAVS ([email protected]). Funds will be allocated based upon the number of "equivalent" faculty that have become members ($500 per "equivalent").

No.

Participation in CECS Communities does not prevent you from participating in the Ann Arbor MCubed Communities program (when launched) or the MCubed program.

You may request a cube at any time throughout the MCubed funding cycle, no matter your level of participation in CECS Communities. In fact, forming blocks of cubes (multiple cubes on the same topic) is an excellent way to fund the formation of Expertise or Theme research.