ResearchImpact 2009 Funding Opportunities

York University and the University of Victoria, as founding members of ResearchImpact -  Canada’s emerging knowledge mobilization network, are pleased to announce the following  opportunities for research funding. Please visit www.researchimpact.ca for more details on these opportunities. These investments are intended to maximize the impact of research toward  efficient and effective human services, more responsive public policies and greater cultural  understanding.

Joint Funding Opportunities

1.  Housing and Homelessness Research – One grant of up to $30,000 to be awarded

2.  Child and Youth Mental Health Research – One grant of up to $30,000 to be awarded

These awards require a joint application between York and U Victoria researchers and relevant non-academic partners and must adhere to all guidelines identified in the application.

Graduate Student Internships

1.  University of Victoria – 10 Internships available for the summer of 2009. Click here for  application details.

2.  York University – Internship opportunities in conjunction with ACCELERATE Ontario. Click here for details.

Supporting Social Innovation in York Region

Consultations with leading partners in York Region have identified two priority areas as themes for targeted KM activity:

1.  Child and Youth Mental Health  – One grant of up to $30,000 to be awarded

– Up to 6 internships worth $15,000 to be awarded

2.  Immigration and Human Services – One grant of up to $30,000 to be awarded

– Up to 6 internships worth $15,000 to be awarded

Click here for application details.

York’s KM Expo 2009 – save the date!

Join us on Friday, February 6, 2009, when York University’s KM Unit will be hosting their second annual KM Expo in Richmond Hill.

York’s annual Expo celebrates the successes of KM partnerships between York University and York Region while engaging KM stakeholders in planning future collaborations and discussing current issues. The KM Expo creates a space where community and academic stakeholders can meet and interact. There will be presentations by keynote speakers, concurrent workshops, a chance to meet the 2008 KM Summer Interns and opportunities for discussion and networking. The theme of the KM Expo 2009 is “It’s About Partnerships” where we will focus on new models for community and university engagement in research.

Date: Friday, February 6

Time: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Location: Le Parc Conference and Banquet Centre
8432 Leslie St (Highway 7 and Leslie), Richmond Hill
Map to Location

There is no cost to attend the Expo but space is limited. See below for the day’s agenda (to be confirmed). Register early! RSVP to kejensen@yorku.ca

ResearchImpact visits the Community-Campus Partnership Program (CUPP), University of Brighton

In September 2008, UVic knowledge broker Laura Milne visited the University of Brighton while on a vacation in the UK. The University of Brighton is the home of the Community-Campus Partnership Program (CUPP), which is an organization that builds collaborative relationships between the university and its surrounding community. Given the similarities in mandate between CUPP and ResearchImpact, Laura Milne was invited to attend several meetings and give a brief presentation to the researchers and administrators involved in CUPP.

The University of Victoria and the University of Brighton both operate a “Research Help Desk”, which aims to match up research needs identified by community groups with researchers at the university. By exchanging ideas, models, and experiences from operating the “Research Help Desks”, both institutions were able to examine their efforts and reflect on new approaches.

The model that UVic’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit has used to create Interdisciplinary Graduate Courses that respond to needs in the community was of particular interest to CUPP and the Research Help Desk operator. After Laura Milne gave a brief presentation on the model and structure of these courses (known as GS 500 at UVic), further discussion and ideas about the benefits of engaging not only faculty, but also graduate students in Knowledge Mobilization were constructive and educational for all in attendance.

As the fields of Knowledge Mobilization and Community-Based Research continue to grow, the value of these exchanges and meetings cannot be understated. The University of Brighton and CUPP are hosting a conference on April 2nd and 3rd 2009, which will bring together community members, academics, students, administrators, policy-makers, and funders to discuss the importance, relevance, and utility of community-university partnerships.

Networking and Strategy Session on Housing and Homelessness hosted by UVic

On October 30th, UVic hosted a Networking and Strategy Session on Housing and Homelessness. This event was intended to create dialogue around the various issues related to housing and homelessness in Victoria, and to broker connections between academics, policy makers, and community members. Over 50 people from various non-profit organizations, government branches, local businesses, and faculties attended. Representatives from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness shared their research objectives with the group, and BC Government official spoke about the provincial government’s perspective on the issues. Success stories were emphasized, as the group discussed the need to support models that are already working, and to share ideas, visions, and resources in order to solve the problems associated with homelessness and lack of housing.

This was also an excellent opportunity for researchers to talk about their work in this area, not only to other researchers, but also to the community and key government officials.

Sponsored by the UVic faculty of Human and Social Development, the Office of Community Based Research, and the United Way of Greater Victoria, this event was a wonderful success. A second event, focused on Housing Policy and Politics, is being planned for spring 2009.