Research and Scholarly Advancement

Access to information and support for research are foundational to the academic experience. Through a wide range of services and resources, the University helps its community engage with knowledge in meaningful and dynamic ways.   

The University of Waterloo Libraries support faculty research and teaching through extensive collections and a knowledgeable team of library professionals. Faculty members can rely on their subject librarian as a key point of contact for in-depth research support, including managing research data, integrating information-seeking and critical appraisal skills into online teaching, and finding resources in the Libraries' world-class collections. Additionally, the Libraries are committed to advancing knowledge creation and open access, and fostering an environment of equity, inclusion, and collaboration. With a focus on research and teaching support at every stage of the academic process, the Libraries offer comprehensive services and resources to help faculty navigate the complexities of information management. By continually evolving to meet the diverse needs of faculty and students, the Libraries play a central role in advancing scholarship, empowering educators, and driving academic excellence.  

Information for faculty members can be found on the Libraries’ Information for Faculty & Instructors page. 

For EDI-R related information, contact Jermal Jones, Associate Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access.  

The Office of Research provides research management services and support for a variety of institutional programs, including small awards (e.g., Early Career Researcher), infrastructure grants (Canada Foundation for Innovation), research chairs [Canadian Research Chair (CRC), Canadian Excellence Research Chairs (CERC)] and other significant grants [e.g., Federal Economic Development Agency (FedDev), Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), Strategic Science Fund (SSF)] often involving complex, multi-year projects that may engage researchers from external partner institutions [e.g., Ontario Research Fund: Research Excellence (ORF-RE)] 

For more information, contact:  
Andrew Barker, Director, Institutional Research.  
Stephanie Filsinger, Senior Manager, Institutional Research; and/or 
Sharon McConnell, Senior Manager, Institutional Research 

The Office of Research provides support for Tri-agency grant programs (excluding NSERC Alliance), the New Frontiers in Research Fund, as well as grants from non-profit and international sponsors. Further, they also assist with building partnerships with non-profit and public sector organizations. 

For more information on specific programs, grants or applications see the contacts below: 

• For information on Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), contact uwnserc@uwaterloo.ca 
• For more information on Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), contact uwsshrc@uwaterloo.ca 
• For more information on Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), contact uwcihr@uwaterloo.ca 
• For more information on New Frontiers in Research Funding (NFRF), contact uwnfrf@uwaterloo.ca 
• For more information on United States funding opportunities (National Institutes of Health, NIH; and National Science Foundation, NSF), contact uwnih-nsf@uwaterloo.ca 
• For more information on nonprofit activities and/or funding, contact uwnonprofit@uwaterloo.ca 
• For more information on international research funding opportunities, contact or-internationalresearch@uwaterloo.ca 

The University fosters research partnerships that connect academia with industry, government, and the broader community. Through these collaborations, ideas grow into impactful solutions that drive sustainable change.   

Research partnerships services offered by the Office of Research include connecting researchers with industry, consulting on research funding opportunities for industry and government contracts, developing research engagement initiatives, negotiating agreements, and hosting connector events. 

For more information, contact partnerships@uwaterloo.ca 

Protecting the integrity of research is essential to its impact. The University of Waterloo supports researchers in navigating security requirements and managing risk, and ensuring research remains safe, compliant, and impactful.    

The Office of Research provides risk assessment and risk mitigation plans for federal and provincial funding and industry sponsored research, as well as guides on compliance for government research security requirements. 

For more information, contact safeguardingresearch@uwaterloo.ca. 

The University of Waterloo is committed to fostering equitable research across all disciplines, supporting marginalized communities in creating change and prioritizing diverse perspectives and approaches in the pursuit of knowledge and impact.  

Inclusive Research within the Office of Research promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) by integrating EDI and Indigenous Relations principles into research, with programs like Building Inclusive Research Capacity (BIRC), the Research Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Council, and the Inclusive Research Resource Hub. These initiatives aim to remove systemic barriers and support researchers in fostering inclusive and equitable research environments. 

Within Inclusive Research, there are two central areas of focus: 

• Research Equity guides researchers in making research and research administration more equitable and inclusive.  For more information, contact research.equity@uwaterloo.ca  
• Indigenous Research provides support to Indigenous researchers and faculty members on special projects and non-Indigenous researchers engaged in or considering Indigenous research.   For more information, contact Indigenous.research@uwaterloo.ca.  

Effective financial stewardship is essential to successful research. The University of Waterloo supports researchers in managing their funding with accuracy, transparency, and compliance.

Research Finance within the Office of Research oversees the administration of research funding including invoicing, financial reporting, compliance with sponsor guidelines, and providing support and advice to researchers to manage research funds effectively.   

For information on compliance or training, contact complianceteam@uwaterloo.ca or research.finance@uwaterloo.ca. To find your corresponding research financial analyst or project accountant, see Research Finance’s lookup here.  

The University of Waterloo is a leader in translating research into real-world impact. Through dedicated support for commercialization and entrepreneurship, researchers are empowered to transform ideas into innovative solutions, startups, and societal change.  

The Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo) is dedicated to providing researchers with a range of business and legal assistance to help turn their innovations into commercially viable products and services. WatCo’s service offerings include technology assessment, intellectual property management, prototype development, market positioning, and access to funding opportunities. The office assists throughout the commercialization process, from navigating legal issues to securing investment and facilitating startup creation or licensing agreements with companies. By leveraging WatCo's extensive network of business and investor contacts, researchers can move their innovations from the lab to the marketplace with greater ease and success. With a unique "creator-own" intellectual property policy and collaboration with units like Velocity and the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship, WatCo fosters an entrepreneurial environment that empowers researchers to bring their ideas to market and create impactful business opportunities. 

For more information, contact watco-or@uwaterloo.ca, or Scott Inwood, Director of Commercialization. 

Further, Waterloo Ventures is the central unit in the University on all matters related to innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship, thought leadership and social impact. Through its work, Waterloo Ventures creates synergies across university activities to enable students, researchers, staff and founders to thrive in mobilizing ideas, knowledge, research and people towards impact.  It provides support across the Waterloo ecosystem of technology transfer, incubation and entrepreneurship training, social impact creation, and thought leadership activities. Waterloo Ventures strategic priorities include enhancing evidence-based decision-making in supporting commercialization and entrepreneurship, as well as increasing inclusive and equitable practices in innovation. 

For more information, contact waterlooventures@uwaterloo.ca. 

The University of Waterloo is committed to global engagement, fostering international collaboration, mobility, and partnerships that enhance research, learning, and impact worldwide. 

At Waterloo, Waterloo International leads and coordinates the University’s internationalization activities, goals, and aspirations, including identifying trends and alignment of Waterloo’s strengths with potential international partners and programs, stewarding international agreements, and managing safety abroad for faculty, staff, and students travelling internationally on university-sanctioned activities and business. 

For more information, contact waterloo.international@uwaterloo.ca