Community Projects
Community organizations and community members can propose a project or a need. You do not need a researcher lined up, a budget, or a finished plan — just the question you want answered.
Submit a Community ProjectSPARK
Spartan Partnerships for Applied Research & Knowledge
Where community priorities, researchers, existing data and students find each other.
SPARK is the place to find a project, propose one, or offer what you have — whether that is a question, expertise, a dataset, or time. Projects here start from three different places, and all three are equally valid.
Three ways a project starts
Every pathway is a front door
A project can begin with a community need, with a researcher’s question, or with a dataset already sitting on a shelf. None of these has to come first.
Researcher Projects
MSU researchers can submit projects directly. You might be looking for students, collaborators, community connections, host sites, or other support. No community sponsor is required to post here.
Submit a Researcher Project
Secondary Data Opportunities
Some of the best questions can be answered with data that already exists. These are datasets and open questions that are ready for analysis now, with no new collection required.
Explore Secondary Data OpportunitiesOpportunities Hub
Find an Opportunity
Filter by where a project came from, what it is about, and whether it is open right now.
Project source
Topic
Status
No projects match those filters
Clear a filter or search for something broader. New projects are posted throughout the year.
Coming together
MSU Expertise Directory
A searchable directory of MSU faculty and researchers by expertise, topic, methods, populations, geographic interests and collaboration interests. Below are the teams already working in Flint and open to new partners — the full directory grows from here.
Take the next step
Submit a project or express interest
One form, four paths. Choose what fits and tell us as much or as little as you have. Someone from the SPARK team reads every submission.
- Submit a Community Project
- Submit a Researcher Project
- Explore Secondary Data Opportunities
- Find an Opportunity — browse the hub above