Pre-WIL: Seeking an opportunity

Many graduate students participate in discipline-specific research activities that qualify as WIL, either as part of their degree requirements (e.g., thesis or Master’s Research Paper) or through additional research projects during their graduate training (i.e., when they have active enrolment status). These research activities qualify as applied research WIL experiences when collaborating with an industry or community partner and a designated faculty member collaborator (typically the student’s research supervisor).

For research activities to be considered as applied research WIL, they must include the following elements:

• Co-creation of research objectives between the external partner and the student/faculty member
• Active engagement and interaction between the student and the external partner
• Feedback or assessment of the student’s work provided by the external partner

Each department and school at the University of Waterloo maintains a list of their current faculty members which usually includes their research interests and ongoing projects.

To find a supervisor whose research aligns with yours, review the listings of departments, schools, research centres, and institutes. Once you identify relevant areas, explore faculty profiles and create a list of potential supervisors whose work matches your research interests.

When reaching out to a potential supervisor, your goal is to stand out and demonstrate how your research interests complement the faculty member's work. Clearly specify your request:

• If you already have funding, specify the source, amount, and duration. Explore the graduate funding and awards database to identify any funding opportunities you can apply for to support your applied research experience.
• If you are seeking endorsement for a funding application, provide details about the funding opportunity, including the amount, duration, and application deadlines.
• If you are looking for a supervisor to fund your applied research experience, inquire if they currently have any funding available.

Be sure to explain why you’re interested in their research and how your work aligns with theirs. Additionally, share your academic and career goals, along with your prior research experience.

When contacting a potential supervisor about an applied research project, it's important to consider whether the project might be eligible for the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Credit. This Canadian government program provides significant financial benefits to businesses and organizations involved in applied research, particularly those providing experiential learning opportunities for students.

The credit offers extra funding for research projects, making it a good financial choice. It can help broaden the project’s goals or add more resources, improving the research experience for you and your supervisor. In short, it’s a chance to get government support while working on important research projects.

Here are some common avenues to help you find valuable applied research opportunities that involve both academic supervisors and industry partners:

• Supervisor connections: Many faculty members have established relationships with industry partners through past collaborations, funding opportunities, and their professional networks. Leveraging these connections can offer you direct access to companies or organizations looking for research collaborators, streamlining the process of finding applied research opportunities.
• Mitacs: Mitacs offers programs like Mitacs Accelerate, which connects graduate students with industry partners for research projects. Through this initiative, you can apply for funding to engage in industry-sponsored applied research, gaining practical experience while contributing to real-world projects.
• Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program: Funded by NSERC, the CREATE program supports graduate students in projects that combine academic research with industry applications. This initiative fosters collaboration between universities and industry, providing you with the opportunity to work on projects that directly address industry needs.
• Networking and conferences: Academic and industry conferences, as well as networking events, are excellent opportunities for you to connect with potential supervisors and industry partners. These events offer a platform to learn about ongoing projects, meet key stakeholders, and express interest in participating in collaborative research.
• LinkedIn and professional networks: Many supervisors and industry professionals use platforms like LinkedIn to share information about research collaborations and partnership opportunities. You can follow relevant organizations and companies to stay updated on available applied research projects and connect directly with potential industry partners or supervisors.

Are you hoping to pursue applied research as part of your thesis/MRP or seeking applied research opportunities? Below are reflective questions to support you with planning for an applied research opportunity. Self-reflection fosters personal growth by enhancing self-awareness, decision-making, and learning from past experiences to align your actions with your goals.

• What past experiences & knowledge have you had that motivated you to consider pursuing applied research, and what problems would you be interested in addressing in your research?
• How does the practice of applied research align with your own values and the types of impact you’d like to have in your career?
• How might you arrange your applied research opportunity?
  • Which faculty members will you approach to discuss applied research opportunities?
  • (If applicable) How might you find advertised or non-advertised RA positions that involve applied research?
  • Which employers are you interested in working with, and how might you contact them?
• Identify the types of skills and knowledge you have that demonstrate your strengths in conducting applied research and highlight why you think these skills are important.
  • You can use UWaterloo’s Future Ready Talent Framework (FRTF) chart to help you identify those skills and knowledge.
    • Note: the FRTF chart is not to be filled out entirely; rather, choose which competencies are relevant to the applied research you are interested in doing.
• How would you like to engage with applied research such that it feels meaningful to you and relevant to your career, in terms of outcomes and the impact it may have?
  • Below are some prompts inspired by the University of Lethbridge’s Learning Outcomes (Applied Research Project at the University of Lethbridge - Pedagogy, n.d.)  for articulating your anticipated research outcomes:
    • To deepen my understanding of…
    • To develop my ability to…
    • To create…
    • To discover [connections between X and Y, about]…
    • To research…
    • To improve…
    • To engage with…
• How might pursuing applied research align with your career aspirations and long-term goals?

Supports and resources

Centre for Career Development

The Centre for Career Development (CCD) offers a range of services for graduate students centered on career planning. Whether you're aiming for an academic position or exploring alternative or post-academic career paths, the CCD can assist with finding opportunities, refining your resume, participating in mock interviews, and more.

While your home department and faculty mentors are the best resources for discipline-specific hiring practices, the CCD provides specialized support for your academic job search, including CV and cover letter writing, academic interviews, and job offer negotiation. 

• Book an appointment with a grad career advisor for a career exploration appointment
• Attend a workshop on career planning: Exploring your Career Interests, Exploring Your Personality Type (MBTI), Exploring Career Pathways
• Browse the career decision-making section of CareerHub
• Explore resources for finding career opportunities
• Review additional Career Planning Resources

Writing and Communication Centre

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) supports graduate students in developing as writers and communicators. Expertly designed by WCC staff, their workshops focus on essential principles of communication, encouraging reflection on your role as a communicator while building practical skills. WCC also offers a range of online resources on genres and modes of communication and features four specialized science communication workshops:

• Introduction to STEM writing: This workshop explores the fundamentals of STEM writing, focusing on audience, context, and purpose. It covers the structure of lab reports and effective strategies for integrating quantitative data to support findings. This workshop is applicable for students new to lab reports or preparing for research-based writing.
• Writing with quantitative data: Learn how to effectively incorporate quantitative data into your writing to create a cohesive narrative.
• Principles of clarity in scientific writing: Master clear and concise scientific writing. This workshop teaches skills for eliminating common errors to enhance readability and precision, with hands-on examples.
• Science communication workshop series: This series introduces the essentials of communicating technical information to non-expert audiences, covering purpose, audience, and context. Participants will learn how to effectively engage in science communication.

Find these workshops on LEARN by self-registering for the course, “WCC Workshops.”  

Mitacs

Mitacs offers a series of training courses on topics relevant to graduate students. Each course bundle includes a self-paced, asynchronous module and a live virtual session. Successfully completing both components awards you an official Mitacs certificate for the course.

Included in these offerings are self-paced courses and facilitated workshops centered on enhancing communication skills:

• Enhance your communication skills (self-paced e-learning): This asynchronous course focuses on developing effective communication skills, particularly in the private sector. You will explore core communication elements to shape project messaging, engage audiences, gain support, and secure partnerships and funding.
  • Key outcomes include identifying key communication elements and their impact on credibility, tailoring content to specific audiences and purposes, summarizing key points and explaining complex concepts clearly, understanding communication expectations in research versus private sector contexts, and developing a comprehensive communication plan, including a unique value proposition.
  • Upon completion, you are invited to self-enroll in a facilitated session.
• Refined project communication plan (facilitated workshop): In this online workshop, you will learn to create an effective communication plan, essential for sharing your value proposition and aligning teams. Through hands-on activities, you will build your plan and collaborate with peers to evaluate and present findings.
  • Objectives include recognizing key communication components and their impact on credibility, tailoring content for specific audiences, summarizing key points and clarifying complex concepts, differentiating between communication expectations in research and industry, and creating a communication plan for your project.

To access Mitacs online courses, you will need to create an account on EDGE, the Mitacs online learning management system. To get started: 

1. Visit the Mitacs EDGE login page.
2. Create a new account (previous Mitacs login credentials will not work).
3. Confirm your account by clicking the link in the verification email, which will take you back to the login page.
4. Sign in and select "General Learner" from the Learner Affiliation drop-down list.
5. Complete your registration by filling out the personal information page.