Rebuilding the research enterprise of a historical research intensive college of nursing.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining a productive research enterprise within a college of nursing is multifaceted and complex. It is especially challenging when a college's mission transitions to address other priorities, and later attempts to re-emerge in the competitive funding environment and re-establish a productive research portfolio.

PURPOSE: To describe how a college is rebuilding the research enterprise to meet the established research mission after a decade of marginal research productivity.

STRATEGIES: Targeted multi-level strategies at the university, college, and individual levels are being implemented to enhance the research infrastructure and faculty capacity to increase research productivity.

IMPACT: In the past five years, compared to the previous five years, annual faculty publications have doubled, annual extramural funding per tenure track faculty increased by 72%, and the College's average extramural sponsored award funding per year increased 118%. National Institutes for Research rankings moved from no ranking (2013) to top 31 (2017).

DISCUSSION: Early results are positive and efforts to maintain and further grow the research enterprise will require sustained effort to meet ongoing challenges.