Discovery Exchange Series
Unique, research-focused experiential opportunities for members of the national and international research community to exchange and create new knowledge together.
About the Discovery Exchange Series
The UCalgary Discovery Exchange Series offers unique, research-focused experiential opportunities for members of the national and international research community to exchange and create new knowledge together.
Co-hosted by the Office of the Vice-President (Research) and UCalgary’s leading experts, the Discovery Exchange Series is designed to enable transdisciplinary collaboration and co-creation in pursuit of positive change.
The Quan Health Data Analytics Summit
September - October 2026
Banff, AB
The Quan Health Data Analytics Summit was an immersive learning experience in health data research and analytics, bringing together leading international experts and participant-driven project development. Honouring the legacy of Dr. Hude Quan, this summit carries forward his impact by equipping participants with practical skills in health data analytics and administration to address complex, real-world challenges.
Learning Objectives:
- Empower participants with the knowledge and practical skills to advance the use of health data in research, health care and decision-making.
- Advance knowledge and understanding of health data systems, including how data are developed, coded, linked, and used to generate meaningful evidence.
- Foster excellence in health data research by strengthening approaches to data quality, risk adjustment, health measurement, and research methodology.
- Build capacity for impactful research by equipping participants to design and conduct rigorous health data studies from research question through analysis and interpretation.
- Promote the translation of evidence into action by strengthening participants’ ability to communicate research findings and advance their application in health policy, clinical practice and decision-making.
- Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among researchers, practitioners, policymakers and other leaders by working to advance health through data and analytics.
- Foster a positive impact culture by building collaborative capacity, networks and team building among researchers, innovation decision makers and practitioners across a variety of sectors (e.g., health, environment, agriculture) in research and innovation.
Optimizing Research and Innovation Impact
May 2025
Banff, AB
The demand for organizations to demonstrate, communicate, and ultimately optimize the impact of our research and innovation activities is on the rise. There is a global demand to be accountable for the impact of public investments as well as increasing expectations to optimize the economic and societal impact of research and innovation investments. However, there is a skills gap in developing impact professionals that can meet these expectations.
Over three days, this interactive, hands-on masterclass, presented the latest evidence and practices at the intersection of impact science with knowledge mobilization and implementation.
Masterclass outcomes
- Participants learned to recognize the value of co-designing, planning for and assessing impact early in the life of an initiative.
- Participants understood success factors, assess and select measures along the pathways to impact.
- Participants learned the tools for mobilizing, implementing and scaling impact plans.
- Participants practiced creating compelling impact narratives for communicating impact and inform action.
- Participants learned to optimize impact through management, continuous assessment and learning.
All the speakers were incredibly knowledgeable, and the energy of the whole group was very engaging and made an excellent learning environment. I was also grateful for the workbook. It was a ton of information to take in all at once, and I think having the workbook and knowing it would be available to me in the future made the learning process feel more long-term for me.
Optimizing Research and Innovation Impact participant
Water Sustainability Summit
October 2024
Lake Louise, AB
The Water Sustainability Summit was the inaugural event in the Discovery Exchange Series. Navigating Global Water Security: Predicting Floods, Droughts, and Water Quality Threats was a three-day international workshop for researchers and scientists in academia, industry, and government to co-develop a roadmap to produce integrated water quantity and quality predictions across large geographical domains. Key areas of focus were to advance process understanding and modeling, develop water prediction systems, and to move knowledge into action. All attendees were contributors to the summit’s planned outcomes, including a peer-reviewed publication.
Summit outcomes
- Participants exchanged expertise and created new knowledge with colleagues.
- Participants collaborated with other leading experts in environmental monitoring and prediction, hydrological modelling, and sustainable water systems and communities.
- Participants co-developed a long-term strategy to produce integrated water quantity and quality predictions across large geographical domains.
- Participants contributed to a commentary paper published in a peer-reviewed journal.
