Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of California, Irvine

Title of entry: Research Impact Digital Hub

About this entry: As the federal scrutiny of higher education intensified, UC Irvine launched a proactive, multi-channel communications campaign to demonstrate the public value of university research and the essential role of federal funding in advancing it.

Our strategic goal was twofold:
1. Illustrate how federally funded research directly improves lives, strengthens national competitiveness, and supports regional prosperity.
2. Reinforce the civic value of a leading R1 research university among the public and elected officials in Orange County and Southern California to build third party advocates and goodwill among voters.

We launched a dedicated Research Impact digital hub featuring stories organized across six relatable themes: brain research, technology and innovation, healthcare, earth and space science, national defense, and sustainability. Each story clearly connected discovery to societal benefit, and to the federal investment that made it possible.

Complex research was translated into compelling, digestible content across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, supported by paid advertising and homepage promotion. The site included two calls to action: encouraging supporters to contact Congress regarding federal research funding and providing pathways for philanthropic support.

From Sept. 15, 2025 to Feb. 1, 2026, the campaign generated nearly 9,000 page views, 5.5 million social impressions, 65,000 engagements and 12,000 link clicks across 52 posts.

With modest paid media investment ($25,000) and fully in-house creative execution, the campaign reframed research storytelling from funding announcements to measurable impact — strengthening public understanding at a critical moment for higher education nationwide.