Governor General of Canada Archives | Research & Innovation

91��ɫ plays key role in Canadian initiative supporting campus-community collaborations

fmaquito — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit, on behalf of ResearchImpact - Canada’s Knowledge Mobilization Network, has been working with the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and United Way Centraide Canada (UWCC) to develop a new initiative known as the Community-Campus Collaboration (CCC).

CCC is a new national initiative that creates supportive environments and works to remove institutional barriers to collaboration between the community and postsecondary educational institutions.

The initiative and the partners who made it possible are a subject of interest for David Johnston, the governor general of Canada.

On May 26, Johnston referred to the CCC initiative in his keynote address, , delivered to delegates at the 2012 Congress of the Humanities & Social Sciences. “The community-campus collaboration fostered by United Way-Centraide and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council is quite simply a superb initiative," said Johnston. “It will help us ensure that social innovation is a key component of Canada’s innovation landscape. This initiative also provides us with a catalytic vehicle to apply knowledge and develop experiential learning.”

to view Johnston's address to Congress.

Over the past year, in response to a call for feedback on CCC initiatives at a meeting held in April 2011 attended by Johnston, Centraide Canada and Research Impact, working with 91��ɫ and UWCC, conducted a scan of university-community collaborative projects led by the United Way. The organizations identified a total of 88 projects of interest.

Four of the projects identified by the scan were selected for further research to better understand the barriers and enablers of effective community and university collaboration. 91��ɫ Vice-President of Research & Innovation Robert Haché invested in funding the research, which was carried out by 91��ɫ education Professor Steven Gaetz and 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit.

One of the projects selected for further investigation was a collaboration between 91��ɫ and the United Way of 91��ɫ Region. This collaboration, which started in 2010, resulted in the creation of Strength Investments, a funding mechanism that has allowed UWYR to invest some $300,000 into citizen-led approaches to address community opportunities. For more information, read the article on Strength Investments that is available on the Mobilize This! Blog.

91��ɫ, SSHRC and UWCC took their collaboration a step further and developed a paper on the CCC concept. The paper provided a platform for a round-table discussion that was held on May 26, and attended by the governor general. Haché and David Phipps, director, Research Services & Knowledge Exchange, were invited to participate in the round-table discussion, which included representatives from the Canadian Federation of Humanities & Social Sciences (CFHSS), SSHRC, United Way Centraide Canada and national stakeholders at the Congress of the Social Sciences & Humanities. The purpose of the meeting was to engage partners in advancing CCC.

Robert Haché

“The CCC initiative encourages communities and universities to work more closely together on engaged scholarship and learning,” said Haché. “91��ɫ has many community-university assets to bring to this conversation, including our national leadership in knowledge mobilization, the TD Centre for Community Engagement and all of the initiatives funded by the Academic Innovation Fund that support students working in collaboration with community partners.”

“91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit has worked closely with our local community and public sector partners, especially UWYR, to develop services that support knowledge mobilization and engaged scholarship, and we are pleased to play a leading role in this pan-Canadian initiative,” added Phipps.

The CCC Initiative includes , with the , the , , , , , , , and .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Canada and the United Kingdom commit to social innovation

fmaquito — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:00:00 +0000

A joint diplomatic commitment to social innovation between Canada and the United Kingdom that was formalized May 9 has a connection to work underway at 91��ɫ in the area of knowledge mobilization.

The signed by David Fast, Canada’s minister of international trade and minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, and Stephen Green, the United Kingdom’s minister of state for trade & development, highlights the importance of collaboration between the two countries in the area of social innovation. Social Innovation takes new ideas and puts them into practice for the public good. David Phipps, director of 91��ɫ's Research Services and Knowledge Exchange and leader of 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and ResearchImpact-RéseauImpactRecherche (RIR), Canada’s knowledge mobilization network, played a role in realizing the commitment by both countries to social innovation.

David Phipps

It began in September 2011, when British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The pair discussed many matters, including international diplomacy, national security, the economy and innovation. During their meeting, they decided to build on their countries’ mutual interests in science and innovation by committing to a joint innovation statement. to view a video of Cameron's address to the Canadian Parliament.

In November 2011, some two months after the prime ministers agreed to draft the joint innovation statement, Phipps travelled to the UK for a series of meetings on knowledge mobilization and social innovation. While there, he met with representatives from the at the University of Edinburgh and the at the University of Brighton.

“At that time, I wrote in [a blog about ResearchImpact and knowledge mobilization] about my meetings ,” said Phipps. “What I didn't write about at the time were my meetings with agencies interested in social innovation. I met with the , a global leader in social innovation, and with , the UK’s innovation foundation.”

Accompanying Phipps to the meetings was Caroline Martin, trade commissioner for science and technology with the Canadian High Commission in London. “We discussed the importance of social innovation to Canada and the United Kingdom, a conversation we then continued with Nicole Arbour, team lead for the Science & Innovation Network at the British High Commission in Ottawa. Together we explored opportunities for collaboration on social innovation with Canadian organizations such as and the , organizations whose leadership in social innovation parallels that of NESTA and the Young Foundation.”

Phipps learned that Martin and Arbour were assisting with drafting the Joint Innovation statement that was called for by the prime ministers. “Our conversations helped inform the decision to include social innovation in the text of the Joint Innovation statement,” said Phipps.

Once completed, the Joint Innovation statement included this declaration: “The Participants will consider taking joint initiatives in the following priority areas [including] Social Innovation: Working with academic, government and civil society partners to leverage research and innovation activities for greater societal benefits.”

Phipps said the joint diplomatic commitment to social innovation between Canada and the UK has found another home with the Governor General of Canada David Johnston. On Feb. 17, 2012 he wrote about in an opinion piece published in The Globe & Mail. “So how do we bring about a smart and caring world that is at once prosperous, sustainable and resilient?” wrote Johnston. “Our ability to work together – to practise the diplomacy of knowledge – will be the key to our success.”

"Social Innovation is one outcome of knowledge mobilization for which 91��ɫ is developing an international reputation,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “New discoveries are being made to address persistent social challenges through social innovation. Our conversations with the British and Canadian High Commissions helped inform the decision to include social innovation in the text of the Joint Innovation statement. The outcome reflects the growing international appreciation of the work of 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and its leadership role in ResearchImpact, Canada's knowledge mobilization network, in working to turn research into action."

“Collaborating for social innovation is now recognized as a priority for Canada and for the UK,” said Phipps. “RIR-91��ɫ was there and will be there working with colleagues from Canada and the UK to support knowledge mobilization as a process that enables enhanced social innovation.”

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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President bound for Brazil as part of AUCC mission

fmaquito — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri will visit Brazil from April 25 to May 2 as part of a delegation to promote Canada-Brazil partnerships in research, innovation and higher education.

The mission, led by the Governor General of Canada David Johnston, is the largest of its kind in Canadian history, with more than two dozen Canadian university presidents making stops in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia. It is organized by the Association of Canadian Colleges & Universities (AUCC).

Canadian university presidents will be visiting Rio de Janeiro as part of their tour of Brazil

In the next five years, Brazil is expected to become the fifth-largest economy in the world; the delegates will work to establish partnerships that will address the research interests of both countries and foster long-term prosperity.

As part of the mission, 91��ɫ will announce two undergraduate entrance scholarships for Brazilian students, along with a pair of scholarships to study English through the 91��ɫ English Language Institute (YUELI).

Shoukri will also be a signatory on a Memorandum of Understanding between 91��ɫ, Simon Fraser University, Ryerson University, Concordia University and the State of São Paulo research foundation, (FAPESP). The memorandum encourages collaboration between researchers at SFU, Concordia, 91��ɫ and Ryerson and those working in public or private research or teaching institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

“It is important that 91��ɫ participate in this mission,” Shoukri says. “Our aim is that our students become ‘citizens of the world’, by increasing their knowledge and skills through globally connected, internationalized programs, research and campuses. This new era of partnership with Brazil is an extension of 91��ɫ’s leadership in international education, international research and collaboration with international institutions.”

The Fundação Dom Cabral - Campus

91��ɫ’s Schulich School of Business will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Brazil’s Fundação Dom Cabral, a centre for executive development, for collaboration in research and teaching. The institutions will share knowledge around sustainability and responsible business, and jointly provide executive education training and development programs with Brazilian companies. Schulich will also establish the Brookfield Brazil Internship Program, an opportunity for up to four of the school’s MBA/IMBA students to participate in a structured work term in the Brazilian operations of a globally oriented Canadian-based firm.

In keeping with strengthening ties between Schulich and Brazilian institutions, Schulich Dean Dezsö Horváth will give a special address to the Federation of the Industries of Sao Paulo (FIESP), with introductory remarks provided by Shoukri.

Stephen Toope, chair of AUCC and president of The University of British Columbia, says the delegation aims to strengthen existing partnerships with Brazil and create new opportunities.

“This is the largest international mission of university presidents in Canadian history, which speaks to the importance of building connections with this emerging economic powerhouse,” says Toope. “Our focus is on establishing and strengthening partnerships in research and innovation. We will also enhance opportunities for student mobility between our countries, providing experiences that will better prepare students in both countries for the new knowledge-driven economy.”

Canada’s universities, including 91��ɫ, will welcome an estimated 12,000 Brazilian students between 2012 and 2016, through the Canadian component of Brazil’s ambitious Science Without Borders scholarship program. Through these scholarships, more than 100,000 Brazilians will study, undertake internships and conduct research in selected countries around the world over a four-year period.

The Brazil mission is being led by the Governor General of Canada David Johnston. AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities. For more information, click .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor Ellen Bialystok to receive Killam Prize in Ottawa December 14

fmaquito — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ Professor Ellen Bialystok, who was for outstanding career achievement last April, will receive her award from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, at a ceremony in Ottawa on December 14.

Bialystok, a Distinguished Research Professor in 91��ɫ’s Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, is known internationally for her research on language, bilingualism and cognitive development. She received the award from the , which administers the .

One of the most important research prizes in the world, the $100,000 Killam Prize is annually awarded to five eminent Canadian scholars for their distinction in health sciences, engineering, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Bialystok was recognized for her work in the social sciences category. Bialystok is the only woman to be recognized this year.

The full announcement and event details are available on the .

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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