gms | German Medical Science

Although much of the recent discourse on undergraduate research benefits has focused on students’ cognitive growth, positive affect, and professional advantage, assessments of benefits to academic institutions, communities and regions are now beginning to emerge. These benefits accrue through both economic and social gains, and can be inferred through the numbers of projects that engage the community, as well as fund-raising that is associated with undergraduate research activity, and undergraduate research outcomes that may lead directly to technology transfer and business creation. Several lines of evidence will be presented to support the theory of undergraduate research with respect to its broader benefits: (1) growth and diversification of inter-disciplinary undergraduate research communities that generate robust campus-based learning contexts; (2) economic impact of institutes and conferences, such as the Council on Undergraduate Research’s National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and, (3) the rise of undergraduate research’s contributions to addressing societal needs.