We pair cities, counties, businesses, and nonprofits with UTA's research capacity and student talent — turning real community problems into applied, affordable, decision-ready work.
Most partners arrive with a specific need. Start where you fit — we'll route you to the right team.
Master plans, staffing studies, feasibility analysis, and on-call technical assistance — modestly priced and built for council-ready decisions.
Explore civic services →Help navigating city processes and improving properties — the small-business support the City of Fort Worth asked us to build.
See how we help →Applied research, board training, and capacity building for the organizations holding neighborhoods together.
Partner on a project →Paid research roles, fellowships, and a faculty partnership program that turns coursework into real community impact.
Get involved →Repeatable programs, not one-off engagements — so partners know exactly what they're getting.
Short, high-impact studies that answer a real question on a real deadline — staffing analyses, feasibility studies, master plans, and playbooks.
Project-basedA standing, semester-by-semester partnership embedded in one place — a recurring presence at roughly the cost of a single study.
~$10K / semesterDesign and planning capacity on call for a community, staffed by graduate architecture and landscape students — modeled on our Arlington center.
OngoingWorkshops and certificates for legislators, administrators, and nonprofit leaders — plus the DFW Future Leaders academy for high-schoolers.
ScheduledBased at the UTA Fort Worth Center — a place to learn, to work, and to convene the region's civic life.
IUS is where UTA students do paid, real-world work for real communities — and where faculty turn courses into impact.
Lead and support live projects across planning, public affairs, design, social work, and data analytics.
View openings →Bring a project or build a course around one, with stipends scaled to your level of involvement.
See how it works →Stay connected through mentorships, friend-raising, and a lifelong relationship with the Institute.
Reconnect →Youth academy → degree program → applied research → public-service career, all through one institute.
See the pathway →Tell us what you're working on. We'll scope an affordable, student-powered approach and get back to you within a week.
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