Robert 贬补肠丑茅

鈥淢embership in the SOSCIP will provide researchers at 91亚色 with new opportunities to access and receive support for high-performance computing in their research work, beyond the existing support mechanisms that are currently available,鈥� said听 91亚色 Vice-President Research and Innovation Robert 贬补肠丑茅.听 鈥淚t also provides opportunities for collaboration with researchers at the other universities in the consortium, as well as with the industry partner, IBM.鈥�

Representing 91亚色 at a special welcoming ceremony on April 15 at the MaRS Centre were 91亚色's Chief Information Officer Bob Gagne, and Walter Tholen, vice-president research and innovation.

The is a research consortium established in April 2012. The consortium pairs academic and industry researchers with high performance computing to analyze big data and fuel innovation leadership in Canada within the areas of computing, health, water, energy and cities. The consortium members include the IBM Canada鈥檚 Research and Development Centre as well as seven Ontario universities, led by University of Toronto and Western University. Other participants include McMaster University, Queen鈥檚 University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, University of Ottawa, and University of Waterloo. 91亚色 joined the consortium, as of April 1, 2014.

For more information, visit the .

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Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert 贬补肠丑茅 invites the 91亚色 community to share their thoughts and perceptions with respect to research at 91亚色 by participating in an online survey as part of the broader consultation process. The data gathered will help to inform the development of the new Strategic Research Plan: 2013-2018.

The survey seeks input on the importance of various forms of research support, explores the core research values at 91亚色, the availability of research tools and infrastructure, and other research-related information. All members of the 91亚色 community are invited to participate and responses will remain confidential.

Robert 贬补肠丑茅

鈥淭he online survey provides members of the 91亚色 community with an additional opportunity to share their thoughts and feedback in a manner that is convenient and easily accessible,鈥� said 贬补肠丑茅. 鈥淥ne of our goals for the Strategic Research Planning consultation process is to ensure that all members of the 91亚色 community have an opportunity to engage. I encourage all members of the 91亚色 community to participate in the consultation process. We are interested in hearing your thoughts and suggestions about the development of the new plan.鈥�

To participate in the survey, .

Strategic Research Plan Consultation workshops are scheduled for Oct. 26 and Nov. 1. The workshops are open to all members of the 91亚色 community and seek to engage the research community in examining 91亚色鈥檚 core values with respect to research, probing our perceptions and seeking to prioritize our commitments to the support of research.

To register, .

Members of the 91亚色 community can also drop in to have a discussion about the development of the new Strategic Research Plan with 贬补肠丑茅 during community chats. To view the schedule, .

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In the first of a series of Faculty visits, held last week, 贬补肠丑茅 had an in-depth discussion with the Faculty of Education Council about how the new Strategic Research Plan can best support and integrate the core research values and objectives reflected in the Faculty Strategic Research plan.

Robert 贬补肠丑茅

鈥淭he feedback resulting from the Faculty Councils is integral to the development of the Strategic Research Plan,鈥� said Robert 贬补肠丑茅, vice-president research & innovation.听 鈥淚t is important to ensure that the University-wide Strategic Research Plan echoes the research programs, core research values and objectives identified by each of the Faculties, as reflected by the individual Faculty strategic research plans.鈥�

Over the past 18 months, the Faculty of Education has undergone an extensive consultation process for the development of their Faculty strategic research plan.听 Members of the Faculty Council had an opportunity to discuss and reflect on this process and share their thoughts and concerns with the VPRI.

Among the comments raised were: the need to effectively consider the distribution of resources with respect to research at 91亚色, the ways in which the Faculties can work together to support interdisciplinary initiatives and advance research agendas, the intersection of teaching and research, the pursuit of research agendas as they relate to tri-council funding measures, and the need to ensure that the finalized plan reflects the fluid, fast-paced and rapidly-changing nature of research.

Over the coming months, 贬补肠丑茅 will be continuing the discussion on the development of the Strategic Research Plan with each of the Faculty Councils and more broadly with the University community through workshops and community chats.

To view the workshop schedule and for more information on the development of the plan, visit the website.

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Join Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert 贬补肠丑茅听for an open forum to launch the consultation process for the University鈥檚 Strategic Research Plan 2013 鈥� 2018.

鈥淭he open forum will provide an opportunity for members of the 91亚色 community to participate in the conversation as we work towards becoming a more recognized research-intensive university through the development of this new plan,鈥� said听贬补肠丑茅.

Robert 贬补肠丑茅

鈥�91亚色 has a strong history of showcasing research excellence through the integration of collaborative and interdisciplinary models of research," he said. "We have built a solid basis for future growth and development and we look forward to hearing from all members of the 91亚色 community, as we fully articulate our 听collective ambitions for 91亚色 research over the next five years.鈥�

The open forum will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 11,听from 1听to 3 pm in the Senate Chamber, N940, Ross Building.听 The purpose of the open forum is to discuss the goals, values and objectives that will help shape the continued development of research at 91亚色 over the next five years and learn more about the rollout of the consultation process and upcoming workshops. 听In addition, the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the scope of research at 91亚色.听 All students, faculty, and staff are welcome.听 To RSVP for this event, click .

贬补肠丑茅 will be joined by 91亚色鈥檚 President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, members of the Strategic Research Plan Advisory Committee and the Strategic Research Plan facilitators: Gary Miller, instructor in the MBA Program at the Schulich School of Business, as well as at the Schulich Executive Education Centre听and Celia Haig-Brown, professor in the Faculty of Education.

The mandate of the Strategic Research Plan Advisory Committee is to advise the vice-president research & innovation听on all aspects of the consultation with the 91亚色 Community and in the development of the plan, which will articulate a vision and aspiration for 91亚色 research over the next five years. The goal is to provide regular updates to the community on the progress of the consultation and development of the plan working towards a completed plan in the spring of 2013.

The open forum will also be available via webcast on the website, or questions can be sent in advance by clicking and via Twitter using the hashtag #yuresearchplan.

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The听roundtable provided a forum for participants to discuss technological advancements, research partnerships and community collaborations for the benefit of improving health care delivery for citizens.

From left, Altaf Stationwala, president听& CEO of 91亚色 Central Hospital, Ken Ono, vice-president analytics of NexJ Systems Inc., Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, Harvey Skinner, dean, Faculty of Health, Robert 贬补肠丑茅, vice-president research & innovation at 91亚色听University

鈥淭he 91亚色 Leadership Roundtable provided an opportunity to facilitate and create mutually productive relationships with businesses, industry, social service organizations and the municipal and regional leadership of 91亚色 Region,鈥� said Robert 贬补肠丑茅, 91亚色 vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淒uring the session, our keynote speakers provided a great snapshot of new innovations in the health services sector and the exciting opportunities to foster collaborative research partnerships for continued growth and development.鈥�

Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua welcomed all participants to the event and highlighted the importance of forming collaborative networks to improve health care delivery in the region.

鈥淭he 91亚色 Roundtable was a great initiative to better comprehend and seek solutions to the challenges we face in health care. The thoughtful analysis of the changing dynamics of our system provided much value added to the understanding of what is required to bring about much needed reform," said Bevilacqua.

"Through effective dialogue and collaboration we can find the path that will bring us closer to the answers needed to build an effective, efficient and caring user-friendly health care system. The discussion about the use of technology as an enabler for positive change was a reminder of the incredible opportunities we must seize to move forward and innovate towards the creation of a modern and avant-garde system,鈥� said Bevilacqua.

Speakers at the event included听Harvey Skinner, dean of听91亚色's Faculty of Health;听Ken Ono, vice-president of NexJ Systems Inc.; and Altaf Stationwala, president听& CEO of 91亚色 Central Hospital.

Skinner discussed how a new approach to the management of health care is setting the stage for industry partnerships, creating efficiencies within the delivery of health care and driving new models for teaching and educating the health care professionals of tomorrow.听 He presented a new integrated eHealth solution and software development project aimed at enabling patients to monitor their health and wellness, diet and exercise program on a daily basis with the support of a health coach.

The program will help to promote a health active lifestyle, explained Skinner, and will听enable health care providers and patients to work collaboratively to improve a patient鈥檚 health, minimize dependency on an already heavily-taxed health care system. He 听and can lead to job creation for a new Health Coach profession 鈥� an individual who will monitor the health and wellness of patients and help them change behaviourthrough the technology.

Ono听offered an industry perspective on innovating in the health care sector. He addressed听some of the opportunities and surmountable challenges of working with universities to spearhead commercialization vehicles.

Sharing his experiences working collaboratively with 91亚色 researchers,听听Stationwala presented听his perspective on the research agenda that will help to deliver a sustainable health system at 91亚色 Central Hospital and the Region of 91亚色.

During a lively question and answer period, the group of听more than听40 senior executives and community leaders discussed the continuing importance of investing in research and development,听strategies for addressing the innovation needs of businesses and the health care sector, and the role of universities in fostering economic strength in their surrounding cities.

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Vice-presidents of research from across Canada converged in Ottawa on April 13 to meet with the presidents of the Social Sciences听& Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Natural Sciences听& Engineering Council (NSERC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), regarding the impact of the 2012 budget on their funding programs.

While the complete details of the consequences of budget 2012 remain to be fully worked out, the overall tone of the message emphasized the efforts being made by Tri-Council to protect and promote fundamental research, to describe where the new investments in the budget will be rolled out, and to give a first look at where the mandated cuts in programming and operations will occur.

Initial discussion emphasized new investments being made and the expression of support for basic research in the budget language (if not directly in the dollars being distributed). Not only was the overall budget to Tri-Council preserved in a budget cycle where听five to听ten per cent听cuts in overall budgets were the norm, but new investments were committed to support a number of new and existing programs. Thus CANARIE, Genome Canada and the CFI all received major infusions of funding that were accompanied by focused investments (in mental health etc.). While there is no explicit new funding for basic research in this budget, the lack of an overall funding reduction place Tri-Council in rare company around the federal budget table this year.

Over the last number of years, Tri-Council agencies were asked to undertake a strategic review of their expenditures, a process which required a review of all program spending and assessment of savings. The review process identified areas where savings could be achieved in order to redirect funding within the organization for new initiatives or to other government priorities.

While these are clearly no longer the heady times of the early 2000s, when Tri-Council budgets grew rapidly in a largely unrestricted manner, overall support for university-led research by the federal government remains comparatively strong and researchers should be encouraged by this. However, it is clear that at all levels, the funders of university research continue to move towards an emphasis on how the results of university-led research translates into tangible benefits for Canadian society and the Canadian economy. Here it is important for researchers to continue their efforts to explain and educate government and other funders on the need to support fundamental research as the bedrock on which university-led research is built.

It is also crucial to emphasize the need for programing that provides funding for making connections amongst researchers and sustaining the basic infrastructure needed for individual research programs.听We can all, in following up on the steps presently been taken by Tri-Council, encourage the continued protection and development of core people and basic research programing within Tri-Council, and emphasize at every opportunity that the development of Canada鈥檚 Innovation Agenda can only be successful if done in partnership with development of our discovery agenda.

For the full commentary, which includes specific details of anticipated programming changes, please click here.

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They have plenty of questions about where they should start and how to plan their careers.听To help them achieve their goals, the听Career Centre has developed听My Career Plan, a new online tool developed just for 91亚色 students.

A comprehensive听career exploration and job search tool, My Career Plan听covers the听four main听areas听of career development:听 Making Connections; Learning About Myself; Exploring My Options; and Looking for a Job.听Each area听has its own section that contains valuable information along with听links to Career Centre workshops, services and events, as well as a variety of videos and suggested topical听readings.

• Making Connections speaks to students about the value of connecting with others, whether to explore some of the many career options available to them or to increase their chances of being hired into a specific job or company.听 The section provides information about the importance of networking appropriately, as well as tips on connecting purposefully with others.
• Learning About Myself stresses the importance of self-assessment as the foundation for career development and provides information and resource links to assist students with exploring their skills, aptitudes, interests, temperament, curiosities and accomplishments in order to determine the types of careers that might be a good fit for them.
• Exploring My Options shows students how they can utilize their newly developed networks and sense of self-awareness to begin researching the many potential career options available to them. Resources in this section include information on conducting occupational research and assessing the need for further education.
• Looking for a Job provides a wealth of resources for students interested in embarking on a job search, including ways of interviewing more effectively, tips on resum茅 and cover letter writing, and sample documents and advice about the importance of a targeted search.

Each section is laid out in a series of easy-to-follow steps.听Using the Track My Progress听tool, students听can monitor听their progress as they move through each of the topics. They can download a handy checklist available in a PDF format, or they can听log in to the Career Centre鈥檚 online registration and job posting system to use the My Career Plan checklist.

"While the checklist represents the sequence of activities recommended by the Career Centre to maximize students鈥� effectiveness in navigating the career exploration and job search processes, My Career Plan was developed in recognition of the fact that students aren鈥檛 always at the same stage within the career development process," says Julie Rahmer, acting director of the Career Centre. "Some students are clear about their career path and want to embark on a job hunt, while others need clarity about who they are and what they want in the world of work before they can even consider career options or start looking for jobs."

Students have the option of working through the steps in the Career Centre鈥檚 recommended sequence or using any of the four sections of My Career Plan independently. "And of course,听the Career Centre is here to help any students who may get stuck along the way," says Rahmer.

"We hope that My Career Plan will be a useful tool for students at all stages of their career development," says Rahmer. "While not intended to replace the broad array of career exploration and job search services provided by the Career Centre, My Career Plan听helps students听get comprehensive career support from anywhere they have access to a computer, at any time."

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VPRI will be advised in the consultation process by a Strategic Research Plan听Advisory Committee comprised of individuals from the University and community, whose membership will be announced shortly.听The goal is to engage the community in a discussion of听goals and values to provide shape to听a听strategic research plan听that will set the vision for the continuing development of research at 91亚色 for the next several years. The expectation is to provide the community with a draft of the plan before the end of 2012, with听a final version going to Senate for approval in spring 2013.

鈥淭he establishment of a new strategic research plan will help to advance research intensification broadly at 91亚色 and identify areas of opportunity for growth and development,鈥� said听Robert 贬补肠丑茅 (left), vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淭he plan will help to foster the support of research excellence across the University while providing a strategic framework for driving our research reputation forward in areas of opportunity.鈥�

In order to create a document with the broadest possible support, VPRI听is inviting听all members of the 91亚色 community to contribute to the development of the strategic research plan by sharing their points of view throughout the consultation and development process.听 The听University community is invited to participate in workshops, focus groups, town hall meetings and other events being organized or through听an online form that is available .

Through an extensive process of broadly-based consultations, VPRI will arrive at a plan that sets well-defined goals within an aspirational vision that is strongly supported by the University academic community, as represented by Senate.

The goals of the strategic research plan听consultation process are:

• To engage in a collaborative, University-building exercise that articulates a clear valuation and appreciation of research at 91亚色听and its integration into all aspects of the听fabric of the University;
  听
• To build a strong, broadly accepted aspirational vision听for听the development of research based on a comprehensive consultation process with the University community and external stakeholders;
  听
• To appropriately identify and articulate areas of opportunity in the strategic development of research across the institution.

贬补肠丑茅, in collaboration with the Strategic Research Plan听Advisory Committee, invites all members of the听community to be an engaged part of a comprehensive consultation process that will help 91亚色 continue to move forward in research excellence and scholarship.

For more information,听click .

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