Building research productivity in an academic setting.

This article describes the methods that one academic nursing unit used to move from receiving no National Institutes of Health funding to a top-20 ranking. A 1995 school task force recommended changes to move toward greater research productivity, including increased external funding. The school created a research infrastructure to support both the scientific development of research studies and the production of high-quality external grant applications. Barriers to research productivity were successfully managed. The research culture dramatically changed to emphasize innovation, autonomy, peer support and review, long-term investment in research productivity, penetration of research throughout school activities, and public display of research accomplishments. Academic nursing units can develop research cultures to support meaningful research that secures major external funding.