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Resource Map → Collaboratory gap analysis

Date: 2026-06-14
Purpose: Identify Resource Map knowledge that would genuinely improve the DePaul Collaboratory's existing community-engagement mission — not expand Collaboratory scope into research infrastructure.
Action: Analysis only — no corpus modifications, no Collaboratory submissions performed
Collaboratory baseline: 715 public activities, 562 external partners (packet 2026-06-14-collaboratory-ingestion)
Resource Map baseline: 281 resource pages, grants layer, people registry, candidate registry

Related: collaboratory-ingestion-report.md · collaboratory-partner-network-report.md · collaboratory-external-partner-promotion-review.md


1. Executive summary

Cross-walking the Resource Map against Collaboratory activity text, partner records, and network analysis shows strong overlap on Steans/Egan/CPS/legal-health service themes but systematic under-representation of documented DePaul community-facing centers, clinics-as-programs, and translational research hubs that the Resource Map already evidences.

Category Count (estimate)
High-confidence Collaboratory submission candidates 12
Medium-confidence candidates 14
Already represented (adequate overlap) ~18 mission-relevant entities
Correctly absent (internal/technical only) ~240+ infrastructure resources

Highest-value gaps: CCHE (UNI-012), Technology for Social Good Lab (CDM-031), VARC Lab (COM-001), Steans Family Foundation cross-center housing initiative (UNI-007 / EXT-005), Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative (RC-008), Plant Chicago digital-twin partnership (EXT-006), and standing Asylum/Immigration Legal Clinic program framing (RC-007).

Surprising finding: Collaboratory is dense on activity records but sparse on DePaul program hubs — many activities exist without linking back to official centers/labs/clinics the Resource Map documents. The gap is often metadata and program identity, not missing community work.


2. Methodology

For each Resource Map entity (resources/, EXT partners, RC candidates, linked grants/people):

  1. Collaboratory presence — search 715 activity titles/descriptions + 676 partner profiles for entity name, aliases, and mission keywords.
  2. Mission fit — include only if it supports community engagement, service learning, civic/public service, clinics, community-facing centers, translational pathways, K–12/outreach, or recurring external partnerships with community benefit.
  3. Exclude — equipment inventories, internal-only labs, grants/publications without engagement pathway, Argonne/HPC/instrumentation unless tied to community program.

Presence tiers:

Tier Meaning
Represented ≥2 activities or strong partner-profile match
Thin 1 activity or description mention only
Missing No activity-level signal

3. High-confidence Collaboratory submissions

These Resource Map entities have clear mission fit, documented community impact, and missing or thin Collaboratory representation.

3.1 Submission table

Entity Type RM ID Collab status Confidence Likely Collaboratory category
Center for Community Health Equity center UNI-012 Missing (0 CCHE-named activities) High Community-engaged research / public health
Technology for Social Good Lab laboratory CDM-031 Missing High Community-engaged research / civic technology
Virtual & Augmented Reality Communication Lab laboratory COM-001 Missing High Public-facing media / educational outreach
Steans Family Foundation cross-center housing initiative program UNI-007 Missing (1 tangential housing activity) High Translational research / community partnership
Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative initiative RC-008 Missing High Community-engaged research / public health
The Plant Chicago (SPARK digital twin) external partner EXT-006 Missing High Community partnership / sustainability outreach
mHUB Chicago (entrepreneurship ecosystem) external partner EXT-001 Missing High Workforce / venture pathways for community entrepreneurs
Rosalind Franklin University (RFUMS) external partner EXT-011 Missing High Health-sciences community partnership
Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic (standing program) clinic RC-007 Theme only (2 asylum activities; no clinic hub) High Legal clinic / pro bono
Center for Communication Engagement (parent + sub-programs) center COM-002 Sub-programs missing High Community media / public scholarship
CHW + ML community health pathway (DePaul side) research program CDM-011 + EXT-009 Partial (4 CHW activities; VIDA not named) High Community data / public health
DePaul Cybersecurity Clinic (program enrichment) clinic CDM-023 Thin (1 activity) High Clinic / service learning

3.2 Detail — high-confidence items

UNI-012 — Center for Community Health Equity (CCHE)

Field Value
Evidence DePaul CCHE LAS page; healthequitychicago.org; 2015 co-founding with Rush; 2021 MOU
Community-engagement rationale Joint DePaul–Rush center for health-equity research, community reports, student community-service learning, neighborhood-level interventions
Likely Collaboratory category Community-engaged research; public health; translational activity
Associated people Maria Joy Ferrera (PER, director)
Associated partners EXT-010 Rush University, EXT-009 Sinai (complementary), Chicago communities via CCHE reports
Collaboratory gap Zero activities name "CCHE" or "Center for Community Health Equity"; Rush appears in 1 MPH practicum activity only

CDM-031 — Technology for Social Good Lab

Field Value
Evidence tsg.cdm.depaul.edu; CDM Research Labs listing; mission: equitable education and empowerment in urban communities
Community-engagement rationale Explicit human-centered design for social issues; urban community focus — core Collaboratory mission
Likely Collaboratory category Community-engaged research; civic technology; educational outreach
Associated people Faculty on lab site (directors not fully registered in people.yaml)
Associated partners Community organizations via project work (project-specific; not fully indexed in RM)
Collaboratory gap No "Technology for Social Good" or TSG activity records

COM-001 — VARC Lab (+ COM-002 parent)

Field Value
Evidence VARC Lab page; GRA-886 (AGIF); COM-002 parent center
Community-engagement rationale Teaches ethical communication in VR/AR; public-facing media literacy; student experiences with immersive technology in society
Likely Collaboratory category Community media; public-facing student experience; educational outreach
Associated people Paul Booth (PER, director); Bree McEwan (PER)
Associated partners Community/media partners via CCE sub-programs (OpEd Project, Open Learning — also missing)
Collaboratory gap No VARC, VR communication, or CCE-named activities (generic "communication" words appear often but not this program)

UNI-007 + EXT-005 — Steans Family Foundation housing analytics

Field Value
Evidence UNI-007 cross-center page; EXT-005; SPARK Housing Strategies project; grants GRA-052/055/407 area + housing grant narratives
Community-engagement rationale Foundation-funded housing portfolio analytics for West Side community decisions; SPARK + VIDA + IHS translational pathway
Likely Collaboratory category Translational research; community partnership; housing justice
Associated people LeAnne Wagner (SPARK/UNI-003); Daniela Raicu (CDM-011 VIDA)
Associated partners EXT-005 Steans Family Foundation
Collaboratory gap Only 1 activity ("SPARK Center Housing Partnership"); Steans Family Foundation not a recurring partner profile

RC-008 — Chicago Gun Violence Research Collaborative (CGVRC)

Field Value
Evidence data/grants.yaml — CGVRC awards with Sinai Urban Health Institute (2019–2022); RC-008 candidate; partial EXT-009 overlap
Community-engagement rationale Community violence research with hospital/community partner; public-health equity pathway
Likely Collaboratory category Community-engaged research; public health
Associated people Grant PIs in ORS records (map partially unresolved)
Associated partners EXT-009 Sinai / SUHI
Collaboratory gap Zero CGVRC or gun-violence-collaborative activities

EXT-006 — The Plant Chicago

Field Value
Evidence plantchicago.org; SPARK digital-twin/sensor project on UNI-003
Community-engagement rationale Community living laboratory; sustainability education; SPARK public visualization for policymakers and students
Likely Collaboratory category Community partnership; environmental outreach; translational activity
Associated people SPARK staff (UNI-003)
Associated partners The Plant Chicago ↔ SPARK
Collaboratory gap No Plant Chicago partner or activity records

EXT-001 — mHUB Chicago

Field Value
Evidence EXT-001; CEC/iD Lab ecosystem links; Chicago innovation pathway for product ventures
Community-engagement rationale Workforce and venture pathways for DePaul students/alumni including community-oriented product startups
Likely Collaboratory category Workforce development; external partnership
Associated people CEC collaborators (UNI-002)
Associated partners mHUB ↔ DePaul ecosystem
Collaboratory gap No mHUB activities or partner profile

EXT-011 — RFUMS

Field Value
Evidence EXT-011; UNI-005 AI-in-healthcare program; CDM-011 biomedical thread
Community-engagement rationale Health-sciences partnership with community-facing AI/health programs
Likely Collaboratory category Health partnership; educational outreach
Associated partners EXT-010 Rush (ecosystem); RFUMS
Collaboratory gap No RFUMS/Rosalind Franklin activities (Rush: 1 thin activity)
Field Value
Evidence ORS Tier C grants (multiple); Resurrection Project FY2025 featured grant; asylum-themed Collaboratory activities
Community-engagement rationale Standing law clinic; pro bono; immigration/asylum legal service — core Collaboratory clinic mission
Likely Collaboratory category Legal clinic; pro bono; community service
Associated partners The Resurrection Project (1 Collaboratory act; ORS grant); Midwest Human Rights Consortium (activity theme)
Collaboratory gap Activities exist but no clinic program hub tying grants, CPIL (RC-029), and recurring partners

CDM-023 — Cybersecurity Clinic (enrichment)

Field Value
Evidence cyberclinic.depaul.edu; GRA-920; CDM-023; 1 Collaboratory activity D36EYO741
Community-engagement rationale Student clinic serving nonprofit/small-org clients via Steans pipeline; CSC 390 course; interdisciplinary Law/Business/Computing
Likely Collaboratory category Clinic; service learning; community partnership
Associated people Janine Spears (PER-008)
Associated partners UNI-004 Steans Center; nonprofit clients
Collaboratory gap Under-documented — single activity vs. ongoing clinic with AGIF grant; course linkage not visible

CDM-011 + EXT-009 — CHW / community health data pathway

Field Value
Evidence NIH STRONG BRIDGE Facilities; ~$1.5M NSF-style DePaul/Sinai CHW+ML narrative; 4 Collaboratory activities on CHW/social determinants
Community-engagement rationale Community health workers + DePaul ML — participatory health data project
Likely Collaboratory category Community-engaged research; public health; data for community benefit
Associated people VIDA/MedIX faculty (CDM-011)
Associated partners EXT-009 Sinai/SUHI
Collaboratory gap Activities exist but DePaul program identity (VIDA/MedIX/CCHE/CDS) not linked as campus partner hub

4. Medium-confidence submissions

Worth submitting if Collaboratory administrators can attach evidence of recurring community activities not captured in the June 2026 export.

Entity RM ID Collab status Rationale Confidence
Center for Community Research CSH-021 Thin (partner name only) Leonard Jason community-based research center; NIH community programs Medium
Center for Data Science (community analytics) CDM-025 Missing Parent of community-facing analytics labs; only submit if CDS community projects documented Medium
Instructional Game & Innovation (DIGI) Lab UNI-006 Missing Educational game/simulation for teaching — public student experience if community-facing courses exist Medium
Innovation & Development (iD) Lab CDM-013 Missing Venture/translation with CEC; community entrepreneur pathway Medium
DePaul AI Institute (community programs) UNI-005 Missing Only if public engagement programs exist beyond research compute Medium
Coleman Entrepreneurship Center UNI-002 Thin 1871 University Row, community banking via SPARK — partial via EXT-002/007 Medium
Steans Family Foundation (partner profile) EXT-005 Thin Housing project under-documented vs. RM grant depth Medium
Rush University (expanded CCHE activities) EXT-010 Thin CCHE co-founder; MPH practicum exists; broader MOU scope missing Medium
1871 (University Row programming) EXT-002 Thin Formal member; student venture pathway Medium
Beyond the Loan (Aon/NFP) EXT-007 Represented (2 acts) Could enrich with SPARK/UNI-003 hub linkage Medium
Community music / CPS music partnership (EXT-013 notes) Thin (1 act) Six CPS schools per EXT-013; could be standalone activity series Medium
Cinespace / community film CDM-016 Thin Community film pathways if public engagement documented Medium
Institute for Housing Studies linkage RC-030 area Partial 1 Collaboratory activity; RM connects to UNI-007/SPARK Medium
OpEd Project / Open Learning / ME Lab / Streaming Lab COM-002 children Missing Public scholarship sub-units of CCE Medium

Excluded from medium tier (insufficient community pathway): CSH-020 Connolly Lab (NIH basic research), CDM-030 Divergent Design (cybersecurity UX, not community-facing), CDM-001 IRL (makerspace — internal fabrication unless tied to specific community workshops; 13 generic "lab" mentions are false positives).


5. Existing Collaboratory overlap (adequate)

These Resource Map entities already align with Collaboratory records — enrichment optional, not greenfield submission.

RM ID Entity Collaboratory signal
UNI-004 Steans Center 209 partner references; 8+ Steans-named activity contexts
UNI-009 Community Service Studies 8+ CSS-linked activities
EXT-013 Chicago Public Schools 60+ activity partner links
EXT-009 Sinai / SUHI 4+ CHW/health activities; partner profiles
EXT-014 Lurie Children's 8+ activities
EXT-007 Aon/NFP Beyond the Loan 2 activities; SPARK thread
RC-027 Labor Education Center 2 activities
RC-028 Stockyard Institute 2 activities; COE-hosted partner
RC-029 Center for Public Interest Law 13 CPIL partner links in network
RC-007 theme Asylum/immigration activities 2+ activities (clinic hub missing — see §3)
CDM-023 Cybersecurity Clinic 1 dedicated activity (thin)
UNI-003 SPARK Center 1–2 activities; many SPARK mentions
ABCD Institute (candidate RC-030) 11+ activities — well represented
Housing / MPH / Nursing various Strong activity themes (8 housing, 11 MPH, 7 nursing)

6. Resource Map entities likely missing from Collaboratory

Program hubs missing entirely (0 precise name matches):

  • UNI-012 CCHE
  • COM-001 VARC Lab
  • CDM-031 Technology for Social Good Lab
  • UNI-007 Steans Family Foundation Projects
  • RC-008 CGVRC
  • EXT-006 Plant Chicago
  • EXT-001 mHUB
  • EXT-011 RFUMS
  • UNI-006 DIGI Lab
  • CDM-013 iD Lab
  • UNI-005 AI Institute
  • COM-002 sub-programs (OpEd, Open Learning, ME/Streaming labs)

Clinics/centers with partial theme but missing program identity:

  • RC-007 Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic (activities without clinic hub)
  • CDM-023 Cybersecurity Clinic (1 activity vs. full clinic program)
  • CSH-021 Center for Community Research (partner string only)

7. Community-engagement pathways discovered (RM → Collaboratory)

Pathway Resource Map evidence Collaboratory coverage
Steans → nonprofit clients → Cybersecurity Clinic CDM-023, UNI-004, GRA-920 Partial (1 clinic activity)
SPARK + Steans Family Foundation → housing analytics UNI-007, EXT-005, CDM-011 Thin (1 housing activity)
CCHE ↔ Rush ↔ community health equity UNI-012, EXT-010 Missing as CCHE program
VIDA/MedIX ↔ Sinai CHW ↔ ML CDM-011, EXT-009 Partial (activities without DePaul hub)
SPARK ↔ Plant Chicago digital twin EXT-006, UNI-003 Missing
CGVRC ↔ Sinai ↔ violence prevention RC-008, EXT-009, grants Missing
CCE/VARC ↔ public VR/AR communication COM-001, COM-002, GRA-886 Missing
TSG Lab ↔ urban community empowerment CDM-031 Missing
CPS ↔ Community Music / FCS / Nursing EXT-013, grant narratives Partial (CPS strong; music thin)
Law clinic ↔ Resurrection Project ↔ asylum RC-007, ORS grants Theme only
Egan ↔ CPS schools Network cluster Strong
Mission & Ministry ↔ faith-health nonprofits Network cluster Strong

8. External partners likely missing from Collaboratory

Partner RM ID RM rationale Collab status
The Plant Chicago EXT-006 SPARK sensor/digital-twin project Missing
mHUB Chicago EXT-001 Innovation/workforce ecosystem Missing
RFUMS EXT-011 Health-sciences partnership Missing
Steans Family Foundation EXT-005 Housing analytics funder Thin
Goldin Institute (network: 5 acts) Housing/LAS — already in Collaboratory Represented
The Resurrection Project ORS grants Asylum clinic funder 1 activity
Midwest Human Rights Consortium activity theme Immigration/asylum Activity only, not RM EXT

Note: Many Collaboratory partners (Marillac, Erie NH, Archdiocese) are not in Resource Map EXT pages — Collaboratory is stronger on grassroots Chicago nonprofits.


9. Clinics and centers review

Entity RM ID Mission fit In Collaboratory? Recommendation
DePaul Cybersecurity Clinic CDM-023 ✓ Clinic, nonprofits, service learning Thin (1 act) Enrich — add clinic hub, CSC 390, GRA-920, client stories
Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic RC-007 ✓ Legal clinic, pro bono Theme only Submit program hub + link ORS grants + CPIL
CCHE UNI-012 ✓ Community health equity center Missing Submit — flagship health-equity hub
Steans Center UNI-004 ✓ Service learning Strong Maintain
SPARK Center UNI-003 ✓ Translational/community data Thin Enrich with UNI-007 projects
Center for Community Research CSH-021 ✓ Community-based behavioral research Thin Submit if community projects documented
Center for Communication Engagement COM-002 ✓ Public scholarship Sub-programs missing Submit VARC + OpEd/Open Learning
Technology for Social Good Lab CDM-031 ✓ Urban community empowerment Missing Submit
Labor Education Center RC-027 ✓ Worker justice / CSS Represented Maintain
Stockyard Institute RC-028 ✓ Community art/education Represented Maintain
CPIL RC-029 ✓ Legal pro bono hub Network-strong Link to RC-007 clinic

Not recommended for Collaboratory submission: Pure research labs (CSH-020 Connolly, CDM-014 HPCC, CDM-004 CyberLabs equipment context) unless tied to a documented community program.


10. Research-to-community pathways

Translational thread RM anchors Collaboratory gap
Data visualization for housing decisions UNI-003, UNI-007, EXT-005, CDM-011 Housing theme strong; SPARK/Steans project identity weak
Health equity joint center UNI-012, EXT-010 CCHE absent
Community health data / CHW + ML CDM-011, EXT-009, UNI-012 Activities exist; program linkage weak
Gun violence collaborative research RC-008, EXT-009 Absent
Sustainability digital twin EXT-006, UNI-003 Absent
Cybersecurity for nonprofits CDM-023, UNI-004 Under-documented
Immersive media for public discourse COM-001, GRA-886 Absent
Social-good design for urban communities CDM-031 Absent

Package for Steans/Collaboratory ops team — metadata enrichment, not mission expansion.

Tier A — Submit as new or consolidated program records

  1. UNI-012 CCHE — center hub + Rush MOU + healthequitychicago.org outputs
  2. CDM-031 Technology for Social Good Lab — lab hub + community project summaries
  3. COM-001 VARC Lab (+ COM-002 parent) — public VR/AR communication + booking-based student experiences
  4. UNI-007 Steans Family Foundation housing initiative — link EXT-005, SPARK, VIDA
  5. RC-008 CGVRC — link EXT-009 grants + community violence framing
  6. EXT-006 Plant Chicago — SPARK digital-twin partnership
  7. RC-007 Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic — consolidate legal activities under clinic hub

Tier B — Enrich existing thin records

  1. CDM-023 Cybersecurity Clinic — add GRA-920, CSC 390, Steans client pipeline, annual cohorts
  2. UNI-003 SPARK — attach Beyond the Loan, Plant, housing projects
  3. EXT-005 Steans Family Foundation — partner profile + housing analytics
  4. EXT-010 Rush / UNI-012 cross-links — MPH practicum + CCHE activities
  5. CDM-011 VIDA/MedIX — link existing CHW Collaboratory activities to DePaul hub

Tier C — Submit if operational evidence available

  1. UNI-006 DIGI — community-facing game/education outreach
  2. EXT-001 mHUB — student/alumni venture community impact
  3. EXT-011 RFUMS — community health programs
  4. COM-002 sub-programs — OpEd Project, Open Learning, ME/Streaming labs

Do not submit

  • Equipment catalogs (CDM-014, CSH-001 instruments, etc.)
  • Argonne/APS/ATLAS/ALCF (EXT-003/004/012) — no community-engagement mission in Collaboratory sense
  • Internal makerspace access (CDM-001 IRL) unless tied to named community workshop series
  • Grants/publications without engagement narrative

12. Final estimates

Metric Estimate
Likely valuable Collaboratory additions 12 high + 14 medium ≈ 26 program/partner/hub records (not 281 resources)
Already represented adequately ~18 mission-relevant RM entities
Correctly not in Collaboratory ~240+ infrastructure/equipment/internal resources

Where Collaboratory is stronger

  • Grassroots Chicago nonprofit partner graph (562 partners vs. 14 EXT pages)
  • Activity-level service records (715 activities)
  • CPS / Egan / Steans engagement volume
  • Legal/health/vincentian activity themes
  • ABCD Institute and faith-community networks

Where Resource Map is stronger

  • Official program identity (centers, clinics, labs with URLs and verification)
  • Grant-to-program linkage (GRA-920 clinic, asylum grants, CGVRC, housing)
  • Cross-institutional MOUs (CCHE–Rush, Sinai–VIDA)
  • Translational hubs (SPARK, Steans Family Foundation projects)
  • Persistent partner registry with evidence tiers (EXT pages)

Strongest complementarity

Resource Map provides verified program hubs, grant provenance, and institutional partnerships; Collaboratory provides activity-level community engagement volume and partner graphs. The highest-value sync is linking Collaboratory activities to RM program IDs (CCHE, VARC, TSG, Cybersecurity Clinic, asylum clinic, CGVRC, Plant/mHUB partners) — not importing infrastructure inventory.


13. Surprising findings

  1. CCHE is entirely absent from 715 Collaboratory activities despite being DePaul's flagship joint health-equity center with Rush since 2015.
  2. Technology for Social Good Lab — explicit urban community mission — has zero Collaboratory presence while generic "data science" themes appear elsewhere.
  3. VARC Lab missing despite AGIF founding grant and public communication ethics mission — Collaboratory has only 2 generic VR/AR activity hits.
  4. Cybersecurity Clinic has official site + grant + Steans pipeline but one Collaboratory activity.
  5. Collaboratory "communication" word frequency creates false overlap with COM-002 — precise program names do not match.
  6. CGVRC documented in grants + RM candidates but absent from Collaboratory.
  7. Plant Chicago SPARK partnership documented on RM with zero Collaboratory capture.
  8. Reverse gap: Collaboratory contains 500+ partners not in Resource Map EXT — Collaboratory is richer on grassroots orgs; RM is richer on institutional program structure.

14. Validation

  • No repository files modified (report + prior extracted JSON only).
  • No entities, relationships, or Collaboratory submissions created.
  • Analysis based on June 2026 Collaboratory API export cross-walked to Resource Map resources, grants, people, and candidate registry.

Git status: New report file docs/reports/resource-map-to-collaboratory-gap-analysis.md (uncommitted); optional mkdocs.yml / README index entry if added separately.