2018-23 Research Plan
The new knowledge we create through cutting-edge research results in societal impact, which produces an environment in which students can achieve their potential and flourish.
Archived content
This content has been archived as of January 2024. Please refer to Ahead of Tomorrow and the 2024-2027 Research & Innovation Plan.
The Research Plan
Our three Research Priorities — Matching Strengths with Opportunities, Increasing Research Capacity, and Driving Innovation — combined with a commitment to nurturing campus culture will propel the University of Calgary forward in our quest to achieve our refreshed Eyes High Strategy 2017-22.
We will demonstrate through discovery, creativity, and innovation the impact a research-intensive university
can have on societal goals and aspirations, and we will create a student experience that will produce the next generation of leaders.
As with Eyes High, our Research Plan is an evolution of the previous plan that enabled us to advance on the national stage in almost all research competitions, including major programs such as Canada Excellence Research Chairs, Canada First Research Excellence Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Banting Fellowship and Vanier Scholarship Competitions, and Tri-Council competitions. Our clear articulation of research priorities, reflecting our scholarly excellence, and our institutional investments in them, were key components in our success.
1.1
Ensure that our existing six Strategic Research Themes achieve their potential and evolve
1.2
Identify potential and new cross-cutting Strategic Research Themes that meet our institutional criteria
1.3
Establish seed funding mechanisms and mentorship to promote research leadership in building disciplinary and/or multidisciplinary research consortia for local, provincial, national, and international opportunities
1.4
Engage external communities to identify emerging opportunities where our institutional research capacity could have a major impact by creating new knowledge
2 Increasing Research Capacity
2.1
Create cross-cutting initiatives on new research methodologies, modalities, and paradigms
2.2
Create avenues to access shared major infrastructure across our university
2.3
Support a new round of Eyes High postdoctoral scholars and graduate students
2.4
Create more time for discovery and creativity by streamlining processes while ensuring compliance
3 Driving Innovation
3.1
Create research competitions for prizes that solve major societal or community issues
3.2
Create cross-campus programs to support entrepreneurial thinking and initiatives
3.3
Explore the expansion of facilities that support the diverse needs of students and faculty for the development of ideas
3.4
Create pathways and support mechanisms for knowledge translation and commercialization, and lead discussions about diversity of approaches that reflect the comprehensive nature of our scholarship
3.5
Transform the university into an early adopter and test bed for research ideas and technologies
Sharpen focus on research and scholarship
Society benefits when scholars focus their collective effort in areas of strength. We create synergies that energize our researchers around issues that are globally relevant and of great importance to our stakeholder communities. We demonstrate leadership in areas of strength and monitor all areas of the academy for emerging ideas. We will also refine the ways in which we measure the impact of our work and share our scholarship.
In our previous research plan, our university identified six priority areas where we had national and international scholarly excellence, and we could bring together scholars from many disciplines to tackle some very important research themes. By building a Confederation of Scholars from the ground up in each of the Strategic Research Themes, our scholars were able to identify grand challenges where they felt the University of Calgary could make big advances. Each multidisciplinary team developed their own research strategy for achieving results and the strategies were endorsed through our processes.
Our scholars have made significant advances in each of these Strategic Research Themes, but we heard loud and clear via our consultations that while these themes have been and continue to be successful, there are new emerging research strengths across our university and new major opportunities that we must capture and nurture. Our expertise is evolving with the recruitment of new faculty, our faculties have identified new priorities that we can build upon, and we have new support systems that enable collaborations and efficiencies across our campus community. The updated priority ‘Matching Strengths with Opportunities’ addresses this changing research landscape.