“91��ɫ’s Strategic Research Plan identifies five strategic areas where we see opportunities to significantly advance our reputation,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research and innovation. “We are eager to support the growth and development of initiatives to enable the recognition of 91��ɫ as a Canadian leader in sustainability research. The task force will help us explore how we can continue to leverage and further advance research opportunities in this area."

The Office of the VPRI held a research celebration, "Public Engagement for a Just and Sustainable World", at the Scott Library on April 16 in conjunction with four 91��ɫ Faculties.��

“The event exemplified the rich cross-disciplinary mix of researchers and 91��ɫ’s strengths across a number of Faculties in this broad area, indeed reinforcing why this area is seen as an institutional opportunity,” said Haché.

As highlighted in the Strategic Research Plan, "Public Engagement for a Just and Sustainable World" includes research programming that informs and addresses a range of challenges in urban environments such as governance, planning, land use, infrastructure, economy, security, educational engagement, transportation energy and quality of life. More information on this area of opportunity can be found in the .

In the coming weeks, Office of the VPRI will invite expressions of interest from those considering volunteering to join the task force. For more information, contact Barbara Edwards, senior policy adviser, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.

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After��eight months of consultation with the community, as well as internal and external research partners, the 91��ɫ Senate has unanimously approved the University’s new strategic research plan, "Building on Strength".

“91��ɫ’s new strategic research plan commits to building research on our strengths and provides a strong aspirational vision for the development and recognition of 91��ɫ’s research over the next five years,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation.�� “I would like to thank the entire 91��ɫ community for your positive response to the consultation process and earnest engagement that made such important contributions to the development of the plan.�� We will continue to invest in the growth and development of our research as a foundational part of our efforts to grow our academic reputation as a recognized leading research-intensive university.”

Robert Haché

The plan supports the University’s research vision to better understand the human condition and the world around us and to employ the knowledge gained in the service of society as described in six intersecting themes:

• advancing fundamental discovery and critical knowledge,
• analyzing cultures and mobilizing creativity,
• building healthy lives and communities,
• exploring the frontiers of science and technology,
• forging a just and sustainable world,
• integrating entrepreneurial innovation and the public good.

The plan also articulates five areas of opportunities that complement past accomplishments, new developments, momentum and timing to provide particular opportunities for building research success.�� They include:

• digital cultures,
• engineering research that matters,
• healthy individuals, healthy communities and global health,
• public engagement for a just and sustainable world, and
• scholarship of socially engaged research.

Through this plan, the University is implementing the objectives set out for research in both the University Academic Plan and the Provost’s 2010 white paper, which identify research intensification as a key University goal and recognize research as a core endeavor that broadly enriches the institution. The plan is meant to be a living document, responsive to the University's successes, as well as being sensitive to a rapidly evolving landscape.

Through a strategic combination of broadly based and focused investments over the course of the next five years, 91��ɫ will continue its impressive development as a leading Canadian research university whose scholarship enhances our culture and improves society.

To view the full plan, click .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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During the open forum, Haché will report back to the community about the consultations to date. He will introduce a draft of the eventual plan and begin the process of soliciting feedback on the document.

“I am pleased to report back to the 91��ɫ community with respect to the Strategic Research Plan consultations to date that have broadly engaged the community and solicited an enthusiastic response.�� This open forum will provide an opportunity for us to share a first draft based on these consultations and to launch this next phase of consultation with the community on the Plan,” said Haché.�� “We look forward to an engaging discussion.”

Robert Haché

As part of the open forum, University community members will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.�� All students, faculty, and staff are welcome.�� To RSVP for this event, click .

Haché will be joined by 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 and Celia Haig-Brown, professor in the Faculty of Education.

The SRP draft is expected to be available on the website on Monday, Feb. 11. The open forum will also be available via webcast on the��website. Questions can be sent in advance by clicking or through�� using the hashtag #yuresearchplan.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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In his presentation, Haché noted that the feedback from the community consultations indicates the 91��ɫ community identifies that the plan should be inclusive,�� individual research should be supported and the plan should articulate a strong, ambitious vision with clear priorities, while providing flexibility to explore new opportunities.

Robert Haché

More than 1,200 members of the 91��ɫ community have engaged in the consultation process to date, with more than 60 members of the 91��ɫ community attending the open forum.

“Based on the input received from the 91��ɫ community, we have developed six draft themes that are reflective of the broad spectrum of research conducted at the University,” said Haché.�� “We invite the community to provide feedback and input on the themes as we work towards creating a new Strategic Research Plan that will help us achieve our vision of becoming a more recognized research-intensive University – an ambition reflected in the White Paper and University Academic Plan.”

Those present at the forum were asked to share their thoughts about the themes. In summary, the forum participants said they welcomed the inclusiveness of the draft themes and expressed appreciation for for the comprehensiveness and scale of the SRP consultations.�� Among the comments��offered, there was�� the aspiration that the importance of international research and the role of organized research units be reflected in the plan. Additionally, participants spoke to the importance of highlighting graduate and undergraduate student engagement in research.

Haché explained that the goals of the consultation process are to engage the 91��ɫ community in an open, collaborative and ongoing discussion about the University’s core research values and to develop a plan that is meaningful to the community.

He was joined in the open forum by the Strategic Research Plan facilitators Celia Haig-Brown, who is a professor in the Faculty of Education, and Gary Miller, instructor in the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business and Schulich Executive Education Centre.

As part of the ongoing nature of the consultation process, 91��ɫ students, staff and faculty are invited to take the or on the development of the Strategic Research Plan. ��Visit the������website to view the draft themes.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Join Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché��for an open forum to learn more about the development of the University’s Strategic Research Plan 2013 – 2018.�� During the Open Forum, Haché will be reporting back to the community about the feedback from the consultations to date, as well as initiating a discussion of draft themes describing the scope of research at 91��ɫ.

Robert Hach�

“I am pleased to report that we have engaged almost 1100 members of the 91��ɫ community in the Strategic Research Plan consultations to date.�� This open forum will provide an opportunity for us to share some of the feedback that we have received and to seek new input from the community on the draft themes aiming to describe the scope of research at 91��ɫ,” said��Haché.�� “We will be seeking input and feedback from the 91��ɫ community in helping to refine the draft themes as we continue to work towards the development of the new Strategic Research Plan, which will shape the future of 91��ɫ research over the next five years.”

The open forum will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 20��from 10 am��to 12 pm in the Senate Chamber, N940, Ross Building.�� The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the draft themes and development of the new plan.�� All students, faculty, and staff are welcome.�� To RSVP for this event, click .

Haché will be joined by 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��and Celia Haig-Brown, professor in the Faculty of Education.

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

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché invites the 91��ɫ community to share their thoughts and perceptions with respect to research at 91��ɫ 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��ɫ, the availability of research tools and infrastructure, and other research-related information. All members of the 91��ɫ community are invited to participate and responses will remain confidential.

Robert Haché

“The online survey provides members of the 91��ɫ community with an additional opportunity to share their thoughts and feedback in a manner that is convenient and easily accessible,” said Haché. “One of our goals for the Strategic Research Planning consultation process is to ensure that all members of the 91��ɫ community have an opportunity to engage. I encourage all members of the 91��ɫ community to participate in the consultation process. We are interested in hearing your thoughts and suggestions about the development of the new plan.”

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��ɫ community and seek to engage the research community in examining 91��ɫ’s 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��ɫ community can also drop in to have a discussion about the development of the new Strategic Research Plan with Haché during community chats. To view the schedule, .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Two workshops were recently held providing an opportunity for members of the 91��ɫ community to share their thoughts on the development of the new plan with vice-president research & innovation Robert Haché and the Strategic Research Plan facilitators, Celia Haig-Brown, professor, Faculty of Education and Gary Miller, instructor,��Schulich School of Business MBA program and the Schulich Executive Education Centre.

“I am pleased that the 91��ɫ community is taking an active role in participating in the discussion about the development of the new Strategic Research Plan,” said Robert Haché (left), vice-president research & innovation.�� “Their feedback is being heard and will be valuable in informing the plan. We are very much encouraging all community members to take part in the SRP consultations and conversations as we work towards the development of a new institutional plan, one that best supports and integrates the core research values and priorities of the entire 91��ɫ community.”

During the workshops, participants were asked to discuss the value that research brings to 91��ɫ and explore 91��ɫ’s competencies in key areas of research.

Among the comments resulting from the workshops were: the hope that the new Strategic Research Plan be inclusive, recognizing and capturing the wide variety of research being conducted and balancing both specific and overarching research focus areas, a desire for the plan to have some impact on hiring, resourcing, budget�� and decision making, a recommendation to ensure graduate students and post-doctoral fellows research is encouraged, ensuring the plan addresses ways to better enable research at 91��ɫ, a suggestion that the plan encourage a more interest in research at all administrative levels at 91��ɫ, and an emphasis placed on collaborative research initiatives.

Meeting notes are accessible to the 91��ɫ community and can found on the ��website by clicking on Meeting Notes and using a Passport 91��ɫ login. The next workshops will be held Oct. 16, 26 and Nov. 1. To register, click .

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

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In the first of a series of Faculty visits, held last week, Haché 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 Haché

“The feedback resulting from the Faculty Councils is integral to the development of the Strategic Research Plan,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation.�� “It 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.”

Over the past 18 months, the Faculty of Education has undergone an extensive consultation process for the development of their Faculty strategic research plan.�� 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��ɫ, 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, Haché 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.

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

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Join Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation, as he conducts a series of workshops with University community members to probe values and perceptions��regarding research at 91��ɫ.�� The feedback and discussion arising from these workshops will be used to inform the Strategic Research Plan: 2013 – 2018.�� All 91��ɫ students, staff and faculty are invited to participate.

Robert Haché

"These workshops are an important and valuable feedback tool in the construction of the new plan,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation. “I look forward to continuing the discussion with members of the 91��ɫ community, as we shape the future of 91��ɫ research together, and to ��developing a new plan that each member of the 91��ɫ research community can see themselves a part of.”

During the workshops, participants will be asked to share their hopes and concerns with respect to the new Strategic Research Plan, highlight what they feel are the current and future core research values for 91��ɫ as an institution, provide their feedback on areas of research excellence and identify future areas for continuous improvement.�� Participants will have an opportunity to share their thoughts in small groups and each group will present their feedback to the larger audience.

The workshops will be facilitated by Celia Haig-Brown, professor, Faculty of Education and Gary Miller, instructor,��Schulich School of Business MBA program and the Schulich Executive Education Centre.

Workshop dates are available below.��To RSVP for the workshops, .

The workshops will be held on:��

Haché will also be hosting Community Chats to invite the 91��ɫ community to participate in discussion on elements they feel are important for the development of the new plan.�� Meeting dates and times are available below.�� Please drop-in.

Community chats with the VPRI will be held on:

For more information on the development of the new .

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

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The community consultations are an important part of a process to develop the plan. More than 150 members of the 91��ɫ community attended the open forum to discuss the plan that will articulate the priorities and vision for the��future of 91��ɫ research over the next five years. The open forum provided an opportunity for community members to learn more about consultation process and the goals for the plan.

More than 150 members of the 91��ɫ community attended the open forum, which was held in the University's Senate Chamber

In addition, there was a lively, open��and engaging discussion that saw participants share their thoughts��and��concerns.����

Among the comments��offered by��those present at the open forum was the aspiration that the new Strategic Research Plan would help improve 91��ɫ's research reputation. Participants articulated the need to develop a strategy that empowers researchers by providing them with appropriate opportunities to focus their attention on research. Many of those welcomed the transparency of the open consultation process, highlighted the need for inclusiveness in defining research areas and stressed the importance of equitable research support.��

“91��ɫ's new Strategic Research Plan will help us achieve our vision of becoming a more recognized research intensive University – an ambition reflected in the White Paper and University Academic Plan,” said Haché.����

Haché chats with a community member

He explained that the goals of the consultation process are to engage the 91��ɫ community in an open, collaborative and ongoing discussion about the University’s core research values to develop a plan that is meaningful to the community.

Haché was joined in the open forum by 91��ɫ President��& Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Strategic Research Plan Facilitators Celia Haig-Brown, who is a professor in the Faculty of Education, and Gary Miller, and instructor in the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business and Schulich Executive Education Centre, along with members of the .

As part of the ongoing nature of the consultation process, 91��ɫ students, staff and faculty are invited to continue the discussion with Haché through upcoming workshops and community chats. The workshops will seek to examine 91��ɫ’s core values with respect to research, understand perceptions and prioritize commitments to the support of research.��

The workshops will be held on:��

To RSVP for the consultation workshops, . For more information on the community chats and the Strategic Research Plan, .

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

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