91亚色 is an academic partner in a new summit exploring the power of crowdfunding. Hosted by the 91亚色 Region Business Innovation in Changing Times Conference Series, which focuses on听providing businesses access to ideas, insight and resources to help them adapt to the fast-changing marketplace, the Crowdfunding Revolution summit is set for Thursday, Aug. 22, from 8:30am to 12:30pm, at the Vaughan City Hall.

Crowdfunding, which is also known as crowdsourcing, crowd financing or equity crowdfunding, harnesses the power of a group of individuals who network and pool their money to support people or organizations, research or new business ventures. Crowdfunding is used by the film industry to gather startup costs for new productions, and it supports disaster relief, citizen journalism, new product development and more. The Crowdfunding Summit will highlight strategies to successfully crowdfund a business venture, social enterprise or social cause. Participants will have an opportunity to network with leaders in the field and hear about potential regulatory changes to address the opportunities presented by crowdfunding.

Debra Chanda, founder of launch120.com and the global ambassador for Singularity University, is one of the featured presenters at the Crowdfunding Revolution summit

鈥淲e look forward to participating in the Crowdfunding Summit,鈥� said Lisa Philipps, 91亚色鈥檚 associate vice-president research. 鈥淥ur involvement 听in this conference series highlights one of the many ways in which 91亚色 works with government, industry and community partners to mobilize knowledge to meet the needs of this rapidly growing, diverse region.听 These events are outstanding opportunities to learn about what is going on in 91亚色 Region and to network with potential research and learning partners.鈥�

Those who attend will:

• gain a better understanding of the impact of crowdfunding on business, not-for-profits and social ventures;
• get an overview of crowdfunding platforms and systems available in Canada;
• learn the steps to designing a crowdfunding campaign;
• hear about best practices and strategies to employ;
• receive updates on the innovative Social Venture Exchange (SVX) initiative from the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing;
• get the latest updates on proposals and issues about crowdfunding for equity in Ontario; and
• join a discussion with other organizations about collaborating on a crowdfunding pilot in 91亚色 Region.

This conference series is the result of a collaboration among the 91亚色 Small Business Enterprise Centre, chambers of commerce, and municipal, region and provincial governments. The Regional Innovation Centre, the United Way of 91亚色 Region and local enterprises of all sizes are also involved in the conference series. 91亚色 and Seneca College are academic partners in the series.

Christopher Charlesworth, co-founder of HiveWire.ca and Centre for Social Innovation鈥檚 Catalyst will also be a featured presenter at the summit听

Speaking at the crowdfunding summit are: James Turner, vice-chair of the Ontario Securities Commission; Debra Chanda, founder of and the global ambassador for ; Adam Spence, manager of social venture exchange for the ; Christopher Charlesworth, co-founder of and Centre for Social Innovation鈥檚 ;听 Daniele Zanotti, CEO of the United Way of 91亚色 Region; and Jeff Dennis and Tracy Hooey of Fasken Martineau, an international business law firm based in Toronto.

Tickets are $50 plus HST. For more information, visit the website. Click to register for the conference.

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Using peer-reviewed 91亚色 research, students working within the KMb Unit developed 28 new summaries over the summer. This brings the existing searchable of ResearchSnapshots to over 120 summaries.

The KMb Unit focused on three priorities identified by one of 91亚色鈥檚 leading partners, the United Way of 91亚色 Region (UWYR).

The are:

• Helping youth grow up strong.
• Enabling individuals and families to achieve economic independence.
• Improving the well-being of individuals and communities.

These research summaries provide the United Way and its network of member agencies with an important foundation for decision making and policy setting.

鈥淗aving access to relevant research strengthens UWYR鈥檚 capacity to make evidence-based decisions, and informs the planning and delivery of our strategic investments in communities of rapid growth,鈥� says Daniele Zanotti, CEO of the UWYR.

This is the third year that the KMb Unit has developed ResearchSnapshots based on 91亚色 research, and the project has attracted notice and enthusiasm among the wider community.

鈥淚 was able to include the research summary of the 91亚色 Region Infrastructure project in my PowerPoint presentation,鈥� says Joanna French, a researcher for the . 鈥淚t provided a succinct, pertinent and accessible way to introduce academic research into my presentation.鈥�

Visit Knowledge Mobilization鈥檚 website for more information about how the unit works with 91亚色 researchers, community agencies, government and the private sector.

Submitted by Michael Johnny, manager of 91亚色鈥檚 Knowledge Mobilization Unit

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and 91亚色 have launched Change Inc., a collaboration that will incubate and invest in promising innovations to tackle complex social issues and build capacity in 91亚色 Region.

Daniele Zanotti, CEO of United Way, and Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation at 91亚色, made the announcement at Deloitte鈥檚 head offices in Vaughan as part of United Way Week (Oct. 4 to 8).

鈥淲e are proud to announce Change Inc. 鈭� a critical strategy in United Way鈥檚 impact agenda 鈭� in collaboration with 91亚色 and our advisory group of business leaders,鈥� said Zanotti.听 鈥淔or our region to be great for all residents, we need a new infrastructure to incubate ideas and shift the way we solve social problems.鈥�

鈥淐hange Inc. is transformative for 91亚色, for United Way and for capacity building in our community,鈥� said Shapson. 鈥淐hange Inc. will provide seed funding, space and support services to social innovators and entrepreneurs. It will provide better access to 91亚色鈥檚 research, graduate students and the programs 鈭� such as knowledge mobilization 鈭� that support their work with the region. It will match social innovators with business-leader mentors. This approach advances and broadens 91亚色鈥檚 innovation agenda, builds on our strong partnership with United Way, and engages 91亚色 Region鈥檚 corporate leaders in social innovation, which is a persistent gap in Canada鈥檚 innovation agenda.鈥�

Change Inc. will work with its Innovation Advisory Board, established in June, to actively develop a sustainable strategy. Co-chaired by Zanotti and Shapson, its current members include:
路听听听听听听听听 Charles Beer, board chair, United Way of 91亚色 Region.
路听听听听听听听听 Anthony Gallo, vice-president, Social Media, OpenText
路听听听听听听听听 Pat Horgan, vice-president, Manufacturing, Development and Operations, IBM
路听听听听听听听听 Debora Kelly, editor-in-chief, 91亚色 Region Media Group
路听听听听听听听听 Young Park, sector vice-president, CGI
路听听听听听听听听 Avi Pollock, head, Applied Innovation and Strategic Planning, RBC

鈥淐hange Inc. builds on the United Way鈥檚 Strength Investments announced earlier this week,鈥� said Zanotti. 鈥淭ogether with our current program funding, Strength Investments and Change Inc. provide a continuum of support for people, groups and agencies doing good work across 91亚色 Region.鈥澨� Information about the .

鈥淐ongratulations to United Way, 91亚色 and the business advisory board for disrupting the status quo with the announcement of Change Inc. 鈭� an opportunity to research, try and scale new ideas to address social challenges,鈥� said Lorrie King, partner, , and member of the 2010 United Way Campaign Cabinet. 鈥淒eloitte is a champion of United Way and a champion of innovation. At Deloitte, innovation is at the very cornerstone of our corporate strategic directions, and our own leading-edge research, across all sectors, clearly identifies innovation as the driver of long-term success and sustainability.鈥�

Over the coming months, Change Inc. will announce its office location and release information about a community innovation summit, pilot projects and funding opportunities.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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If you鈥檙e United Way of 91亚色 Region (UWYR), you collaborate with 91亚色鈥檚 Knowledge Mobilization Unit.

This summer, three 91亚色 students will gain valuable experience through internships with UWYR鈥檚 Community Engagement听& Research Committee.

As part of their experience with the UWYR, the interns will听review literature focusing on the impact of growth and change on human services and various responses to address its impact. They will also听conduct social asset mapping within 91亚色 Region鈥檚 identified geographies of growth. And finally, they will听identify, refine and pilot potential neighbourhood assessment tools for future consultation and engagement activities with residents, community groups, service providers and听other key stakeholders.

Their findings will inform the way in which UWYR plans and delivers investments in communities experiencing rapid growth to further its community impact: helping youth grow up strong, enabling individuals and families to achieve economic independence, and improving the well-being of individuals and communities.

The graduate student interns bring a variety of social science research experience to bear on this project.

Jessica Carriere, who听is working with Professor Gerda Wekerle in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, is researching the social aspects of city planning within major Canadian cities as she works toward completing the Master in Environmental Studies Planning Program. She hopes to work in social planning and development at the municipal level, assisting in the creation of new policy-led strategies aimed at strengthening public involvement in decision-making processes and encouraging investment in social infrastructure.

Left: Jessica Carriere

Nausheen Quayyum, has completed a master of arts in development studies under the supervision of Professors Ananya Mukherjee Reed and Eduardo Canel and will begin doctoral studies in the fall. She has previous experience as a research intern working with (Dhaka), (Toronto) and the University of Toronto鈥檚 Health听& Human Rights Program.

Right: Nausheen Quayyum

Silvia D鈥橝ddario is a doctoral student in the听Graduate Program in Geography. Under Professor Valerie Preston鈥檚 supervision, D鈥橝ddario was a graduate researcher on the 91亚色听Infrastructure Project, which assessed the supply and demand of social infrastructure for three vulnerable populations 鈥� recent immigrants, low-income residents and seniors in 91亚色 Region. Her doctoral studies explore the gendering and racializing intersections of work and residence for immigrants in suburban Toronto.

Left: Silvia D鈥橝ddario

The Knowledge Mobilization Unit鈥檚 internship program, funded in part by a Social Sciences听& Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Knowledge Impact in Society grant, awards 12 internships each year to 91亚色 graduate students based on an internal competition.

More than听24 students have been placed to date, including 91亚色 alumna Tammy Lowe (n茅e Miller) (MA 鈥�08) who was supervised by Professor Barbara Crow while completing her master of arts in communication听& culture. Through her internship placement with , Lowe used her听master's class and thesis work to conduct a needs assessment to understand and inform a communications strategy and new Web site for the non-profit organization. Lowe was recently hired as a campaign manager with UWYR.

Right: Tammy Lowe

With the SSHRC grant now concluded, the internship program is jointly supported by UWYR and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. It is just one way in which UWYR and 91亚色 work together to make research accessible and of benefit to 91亚色 Region residents.

鈥淲e share with 91亚色 a vision for a healthy and sustainable 91亚色 Region that uses evidence-based research to inform support for public services,鈥� says Daniele Zanotti, CEO of United Way of 91亚色 Region. 鈥淔or us, knowledge mobilization is priceless.鈥�

Submitted by David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services, and Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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91亚色Region.com :

Great minds may think alike, but at a 91亚色 round table Tuesday night, there was no shortage of ideas about how technology can improve business and social services in 91亚色 Region.

鈥淭here鈥檚 something magical that happens when you鈥檙e provoked to think,鈥� 91亚色 Leadership Roundtable chairperson Don Cousens said.

The former Markham mayor welcomed about 50 attendees with business, human services and academic backgrounds, including 91亚色 Region District School Board Director of Education Ken Thurston and 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.

Shoukri talked of the potential in 91亚色 Region, particularly in Markham where a combination of information technology and health technologies and a group of creative-minded people are creating an innovation centre for medical devices.

Anthony Gallo addressed the crowd assembled in 91亚色鈥檚 new Research Tower first.

鈥淭he Web is about sharing. Participating in how things are shared, from a business perspective, is crucial,鈥� the vice-president of social media said.

Communities are no longer just physical neighbourhoods, but groups formed around common ideas, he said.

CEO Daniele Zanotti agreed. 鈥淲e are brothers separated at birth,鈥� Zanotti said. 鈥淭he key message is very similar, about community and the need for us to work collaboratively.鈥�

He pointed to the five Welcome Centres opening in the region 鈥� one-stop shops for immigrant services听鈥� as an example of collaboration when United Way combined its knowledge with research from 91亚色 and resources from 91亚色 Region and upper levels of government.

The event was one in a series hosted by the University dating back to 2008. Each roundtable aims to give researchers, community leaders and executives a chance to dialogue about a particular theme.

The complete article is available on .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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91亚色's Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) Unit produces clear-language research summaries that concisely communicate听research results to non-academic audiences.

These summaries support research dissemination, allowing research findings to have a broader impact on decision-making, policy development and professional practice. This unique institutional capacity was recently featured in The Globe and Mail and was听the subject of a听presentation听at the 2009 Congress of the Humanities & Social Sciences. There is a template of the research summary series, titled , available on the KMb Unit鈥檚 Web site.

The KMb Unit is currently creating a new batch of summaries for 2010. While summaries can be written to support any 91亚色 research findings, the unit is focusing on research related to the priorities of the United Way of 91亚色 Region, one of its major partners, for 2010.

These priorities include:

• helping youth to grow up strong;
• enabling individuals and families to achieve economic independence;
• improving the well-being of individuals and communities.

To be eligible for the research summary process,听research must:

• be finished research, not projects in progress;
• be developed based upon a written output, such as a report, book or thesis;
• meet some form of peer review, such as a book or chapter in an edited book, peer-reviewed publication, such as a journal, publication, or thesis.
• have findings that can help inform public policy or professional practice.

Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation, invites听interested researchers to participate in this project.听Those interested should contact the KMb Unit at kmunit@yorku.ca with materials describing听their research, such as a journal article, book chapter, poster or conference presentation.

A research assistant in the KMb Unit will use these materials and in some cases will conduct an interview to develop a brief, clear-language summary of听the research project, which will be submitted for review and听sign-off. The researcher听will also be asked to give听consent to having听the summary shared on the Web site.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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With the challenge of a changing external context for research in Canada 鈥� both a shifting economic and social cultural environment鈥� a new view of innovation is taking hold and a recognition of the value of collaborations across the spectrum of research is emerging.

Effective collaboration as a part of R&D strategies will provide for significant gains in competitive advantage in innovation and productivity growth for Canadian businesses. While more and more business leaders are recognizing the potential benefits of research collaboration, universities must take up this challenge as well. It's critical for universities to build a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to strengthening research opportunities with external partners.

While it is important that universities develop the skills, talent, and creative and innovative capacity to enhance productivity in the new global economy, building new models to meet these challenges will require collaboration and teamwork at all levels and across all value chains.

Increasingly, the government has recognized the importance of enhanced R&D collaborations and invested in them. However, these increased investments have had difficulty in producing effective public and private sector linkages, resulting in a significant innovation gap 鈥� remaining a fundamental challenge for the government.

The difficulty is that the availability and distribution of research funds are increasingly tied to strategic science and technology priority areas. But so much of what drives social change and fuels the modern economy is also derived from social sciences and humanities (SS&H) disciplines. Companies in these sectors (e.g., communications, design, management, law, etc.) have complex challenges and those that derive their primary knowledge inputs from the social science and humanities disciplines account for about $700B (58 per cent) of GDP output, and yet a significant proportion of the research dollars are going to science and technology (S&T) companies that support about $431B (42 per cent) of GDP outputs.

If Canada is going to remain competitive in the new knowledge economy we must heighten collaborative research and development across a broader suite of research areas.

91亚色's innovation and partnership strategy takes a broader focus, contributing not only our S&T research but also leveraging the work of our SS&H scholars. 91亚色 has established significant and sustainable community and regional innovation programs with partners in 91亚色 Region.

The region is the sixth-largest municipality in Canada, with a growing population of 1.2M. It also serves as the centre-point of Canada鈥檚 leading technology corridor, poised to contribute as a significant innovation and commercialization hub given its strong base of IT/software and medical devices/biotechnology companies. It is home to nearly 50 per cent of the medical device technology companies in Canada.

To capitalize on our proximity to 91亚色 Region, 91亚色 is currently working actively to form a unique consortium, establishing a Convergence Centre for the development of next generation medical device technologies in Markham. 91亚色 works with a variety of regional partners on the social innovation side, including the United Way of 91亚色 Region, regional hospitals, and regional school boards.

To grow and foster new and varied collaborations, a new unique innovation facility that 91亚色 is developing as part of the convergence centre 鈥淚nnovation 91亚色.鈥� It will have the capability of both mobilizing social innovation research as well as S&T innovation and commercialization. This infrastructure will actively promote research opportunities that build on the research strengths across the university, address the needs of our partners and support the incubation of the most promising innovative ideas.

The key to fostering ultimate research success, whether in the public or private sector, science and technology or the social sciences and humanities, is a shared philosophy and belief in the value of true collaboration and its power to open new areas of opportunity and innovation.

Read the complete post on .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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On March 9, the Globe published an article on the . The story was part of its special report on university research and also appeared in the Report on Business section:

The study of literature is rarely associated with economic growth, yet that is precisely the argument made by Impact Group co-founder Ron Freedman: "The Stratford Festival generates huge economic benefit for the local community. What's its core technology? Old English."

According to Mr. Freedman, who authored a report on the economic role of social sciences and humanities research, this type of research doesn't get its fair share of credit for its contributions to the Canadian economy and society.

Discussions about the role of research in economic growth are usually dominated by the so-called "hard sciences," biomedical and technology in particular, and the Conservative government's recent Speech from the Throne was no exception, with its promises to continue investing in the Science and Technology Strategy, create a digital economy strategy and support advanced research in space-based technologies.

But many in the research community believe that focusing funding primarily on science and technology to strengthen the economy is a mistake. "The humanities and social sciences are moving to centre stage," said SSHRC president Chad Gaffield recently in a speech.

Two projects lead by 91亚色 professors were mentioned in the coverage:

There are thousands of groups across the country trying to end homelessness. Yet, often being under-resourced, they lack funds to research whether their programs are effective. Enter Professor Stephen Gaetz of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education and nursing Professor Bernie Pauly of the University of Victoria who teamed up with community partners to help them evaluate their programs and share their great ideas with other communities.

Megan Davies, a professor in the Department of Social Science in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, had long wanted to share the wealth of knowledge she had accumulated about the history of mental health in Canada with young people, wrote the Globe. So, together with Anne Marshall, director of the Centre for Youth & Society at the University of Victoria, she developed high-school material that teaches students to understand their own mental health and be compassionate toward others with mental illness and made it available to teachers online at the Web site CaringMinds.ca.

On March 8, the Globe also published an article on that included 91亚色's Knowledge Mobilization program, which partners researchers with community organizations and government policymakers to produce mutually-beneficial research.

鈥淭he future lies in exchanging all forms of research not just with industry but with government and with the community at large as well,鈥� says David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services at 91亚色. 鈥淚n past, the focus has been on technology. Now we are extending it to business, law, the social sciences and the humanities.鈥�

...

At 91亚色, Mr. Phipps has two full-time staff working on what he calls knowledge mobilization. To date, they work with the United Way of 91亚色 Region and The Human Services Planning Coalition of 91亚色 Region, which represents 15 different social services agencies.

Representatives from those agencies meet regularly with 91亚色 researchers for what he calls KM in the AM 鈥� a knowledge management breakfast 鈥� where the agencies get to pick what area of research they want to hear about and a 91亚色 professor specializing in that area delivers a presentation.

"After that we leave it to the agencies and the professors to follow up," he says.

On March 10, Professor Joe Baker in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health was profiled as one of several . It highlighted his research on the benefits of exercise and competitive sport to older people.

鈥淲e鈥檙e finding that a lot of things that we used to attribute to getting older, like decreases in cognitive functioning, depression and increased substance abuse, are really more a symptom of disuse rather than aging,鈥� says Baker, a member of 91亚色鈥檚 Alliance in Graceful Aging, a multidisciplinary research team.

He also examines how society鈥檚 negative stereotypes about aging influence people鈥檚 behaviours as they grow older. 鈥淲e are very much a culture that values youth and devalues the older person,鈥� he says.

His findings so far suggest people鈥檚 expectations about aging play a significant role in their declining physical and cognitive abilities. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just starting to get a handle on how big an influence these negative social stereotypes are on overall health,鈥� he says.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of .

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The summaries are available in a located on the KM Unit's Web site. They provide an introduction into the variety and depth of research that is conducted at 91亚色 and the University of Victoria as part of ResearchImpact, a service-oriented program designed to connect university research with across Canada to ensure that research helps inform decision-making. The KM Unit's new Community Collaboration Stations provide research collaborators with access to a 91亚色 computer, which allows them to access materials contained in the 91亚色 Libraries and other online resources.

Some of the new research summaries highlight the work of 91亚色 education Professor Stephen Gaetz, who studies homelessness, and that of Professor Uzo Anucha of the School of Social Work in 91亚色's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who studies youth and poverty. The complete library of research summaries consists of 84 entries that present the results of research on a variety of issues, including HIV/AIDS, immigration & settlement, employment and climate change, as well as research on business & management, law and health services, to name but a few.

First announced in the spring of 2009 (see YFile, May 27), the ResearchSnapshot concept was ;tested in focus groups which included University researchers, provincial policy-makers and community social service organizations. The听focus group participants were supportive of the initiative, which was described as offering an excellent introduction to research听with just enough background and contact information, without being overwhelming.

Above: Participants in the afternoon research forum presented by 91亚色's KM Unit. The forum featured 91亚色 researchers speaking on the topic of youth engagement. The announcement of the new ResearchSnapshots and Community Collaboration Stations was made at the Dec. 2 forum.

There are limitations to the utility of the research summaries, says David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services at 91亚色. He points out that a decision about public policy or professional practice should not be made on the basis of a single research study. 鈥淲e use ResearchSnapshots as a calling card to alert our non-academic research partners that there is research expertise at 91亚色 that might be relevant to a partner鈥檚 interests,鈥� says Phipps. This calling card helps 91亚色鈥檚 KM Unit broker relationships between 91亚色 and potential collaborators or organizations seeking to use research to inform decisions, says Phipps.

鈥�91亚色 has opened Canada鈥檚 first Knowledge Mobilization Unit that is fully integrated into the University鈥檚 research infrastructure,鈥� says Stan Shapson, 91亚色's vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淭he expertise of 91亚色鈥檚 researchers and their graduate students should be accessible in order to maximize the social economic and environmental impacts of public investments in university research.鈥�

Daniele Zanotti, CEO of the United Way of 91亚色 Region, agrees. 鈥淚t is important that community agencies are working from the best knowledge available so that they can make well-informed decisions,鈥� she says. 鈥�91亚色's Knowledge Mobilization Unit provides an avenue for community organizations to tap into the research expertise available in the University. It makes research, as well as researchers and graduate students, accessible to non-academic decision-makers.鈥�

The development of the ResearchSnapshots was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada. Production of the latest 40 research summaries and the Community Collaboration Stations were made possible through the support of the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at 91亚色.

To access the research summary database, click . To reserve time on a Community Collaboration Station, contact 91亚色鈥檚 KM Unit by e-mail at kmunit@yorku.ca.

From YFile - 91亚色's daily e-bulletin

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