A Message from the VPRI, Dr. Alison Mountz
Engagement weaves together the creative collaborative endeavors of UTSC researchers, the dynamic team at the OVPRI, and our many important partners at UTSC and beyond. The stories on each page of this report bring to life the importance of the research carried out by our campus, and the work that we do to nourish, support, and expand research at UTSC and its mobilization to wider communities.
This has been an exciting year and a time of transition for the Office of the Vice-Principal of Research & Innovation (OVPRI) as we evolve and grow to best serve our research community and the strategic priorities of our campus.
This year, we expanded our approaches to internal and external engagement. We spent time sharing ideas and listening to learn how we can best support great research at UTSC. We convened committees and communities of practice of research leaders on campus. We discussed principles guiding resource allocation to support research from every discipline and department on campus.
The OVPRI operates in two parts supporting internal and external engagement, led by two Associate Vice-Principals. Staff working on Research Facilitation and Infrastructure support external funding and allocate internal resources to support our diverse and vibrant research community. Staff working on Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships build networks and collaborations that fuel better research with anchor institutions and other key partners.
As the OVPRI expands to support researchers at UTSC, we develop better systems to sustain engagement. This involves efficient facilitation and adjudication of internal awards, supporting ten CRCs and our first CERC, new interdisciplinary clusters, and directors of high-quality research centres and institutes, and the many faculty who lead research across campus.
The OVPRI supported extensive external engagement this year through strategic initiatives and partnerships. Whether local, regional, or international, engagement is written into the fabric of UTSC, from our Clusters of Scholarly Prominence Program that brings researchers together across disciplinary boundaries, to the Earth district鈥檚 consortium of five collaborating institutions in the eastern GTA, to the Sam Ibrahim Centre for Inclusive Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership (SICIEEIL).
The OVPRI works to support and catalyze research leadership at UTSC. The best measure of our success is the success of our research community at UTSC. Excellent research requires creative engagement. We are grateful for a year of creative engagement with researchers and the many communities where we work and live.
Alison Mountz, PhD
Acting Vice-Principal Research & Innovation