Our Philosophy
What is MetroLab?
MetroLab Network is a non-profit that drives positive impact in communities by empowering collaboration between two critical public institutions: local government and universities. We believe science and research can live and flourish in cities and their city halls – bringing innovation and solutions to the front door of communities. We believe transformative partnerships between these institutions are a necessary evolution to the innovation and scientific movement of tomorrow. The challenges cities and counties face are complex, and to create transformative change we bring together an ecosystem of research and doers.
Our Mission:
MetroLab aims to forever change the relationship between local governments and universities. This evolution brings an intentional, regular and impact-driven alignment, resulting in long-term impact.
Our mission is to two-fold:
To put science in cities.
-and-
Understand, support, and enable transformative partnerships between cities and universities.
Why local government and university partnerships?
Universities and local governments have critical roles. Universities spearhead research and novel concepts while building the workforce of tomorrow. Cities and counties are the backbone of our every day, providing essential services and growing ecosystems as the laboratory of innovation. MetroLab serves as an intermediary to ensure that these efforts are synergistic and not happening in isolation. We provide cities with the trusted capacity to realize and build science and innovation within their communities, while researchers rely on MetroLab to move basic research into an applied setting.
What we do
- MetroLab is an ecosystem of researchers and innovative local government leaders who want to work collaboratively.
- MetroLab manages programs to discover, implement, and scale innovative solutions and new thinking.
- MetroLab collaborates with local communities at a scale that then informs national policy.
- MetroLab empowers meaningful partnerships, making civic research actionable, and brings capacity (of all types) to cities and counties.
- MetroLab studies the constraints between local governments and universities; proactively managing paths forward resulting in measurable outcomes.
