The CFI believes that supporting partnerships between researchers, institutions and the private and public sectors will increase the return on CFI investments by fostering dynamic interaction between sectors and facilitating the flow of research knowledge into the innovation system.
To this end, the CFI created the Research Facilities Navigator, an online directory of research facilities in public research institutions across Canada where businesses and other organizations find the cutting-edge infrastructure and expertise to help meet their research and innovation needs.
To help establish partnerships and gain broader exposure to potential collaborators from government, academia, and other private and public sector organizations, some institutions aim to maximize their participation in the Navigator. Institutions listing facilities in the Navigator have been:
- Encouraging facilities large and small - with the interest and capacity to work with external partners, to participate in the directory;
- Proactively updating their profiles to ensure Navigator users are accessing the most complete and updated information about the labs, equipment, expertise and services in the facility;
Actively promoting their participation in the Navigator, and highlighting profile of their facilities through social media, institutional and researcher websites and other relevant forums.
Here are examples of these practices:
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is fully embracing the Navigator, encouraging the listing of eligible facilities and prominently showcasing the Navigator on the website of the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.
Upon receiving funding decisions from the CFI, the university informs project leaders about the opportunity to list their facility on the Navigator during meetings held to provide further information about the administration of their CFI funding. The university sends specific instructions on adding their facilities to the Navigator to the project leaders once projects have been completed.
The university keeps its Navigator profiles complete and up-to-date by delegating responsibility for these tasks to the Institutional Programs Office.
Contact:
Sharon Wu
Managing Director, Research Support Services
Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation
Telephone: 604 827-5279
Email: sharon.wu [at] ubc.ca
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University (SFU) encourages its researchers to highlight their research facility and make connections with other facilities, labs and groups.
SFU’s Institutional Strategic Awards (ISA) team manages all pre- and post-award processes for CFI, enabling it to build awareness of the Navigator system early in proposal development. When SFU’s Office of the Vice-President, Research and International (VPRI) receives notification of a CFI award, the ISA team sends an email to the successful project leader(s) reminding them of the Research Facilities Navigator online directory, and promoting it as an opportunity to showcase their facility when the infrastructure becomes operational.
Once funding has been made public, ISA sends a reminder to project leaders that their facility (if operational) can now be listed in the Navigator tool. The VPRI’s communications and marketing team sends an email to SFU’s CFI-all mail list, as a reminder about the Navigator, and promotes the tool on the SFU Research social media channels. In addition, a link to the Navigator tool is published on the SFU Research website as well as scheduled issuances of promotional tweets to solicit interest from SFU researchers.
Contact:
Charlene Allard
Associate Director (CFI Lead)
Institutional Strategic Awards
Office of the Vice-President, Research
Telephone: 778 782-9323
Email: crallard [at] sfu.ca
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa updates its existing Navigator profiles every year to make sure the information is complete and current. In the process, the university sends another callout to eligible facilities to become part of the Navigator.
Contact:
Brigit Viens
Director, Office of Strategic Development Initiatives
Research Services
Telephone: 613 562-5800 ext. 3405
Email: bviens [at] uottawa.ca