Identifying and addressing institutional barriers to community partner compensation for engaged research: A Clinical and Translational Science Award case study

Little guidance exists for developing institutional policies and procedures that support financial management of community-engaged research, including those related to compensating community partners equitably and efficiently for their expertise and time. To address this gap at our institution, the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) pursued an iterative, multi-pronged approach to identify and address institutional barriers and facilitators related to community partner compensation for research engagement. This case study describes the approach used to involve research administrative leadership, research teams, and community partners at UNC in the identification of institutional barriers to efficient partner compensation. It also elucidates our efforts to develop policies, processes, and resources to address these barriers. The approaches and solutions described can be adapted by other academic research institutions to enhance compensation processes and to facilitate incorporation of community perspectives into the design and implementation of institutional processes that directly impact their engagement in research.