EDI in Research at the University of Waterloo
One of the ways the University of Waterloo enacts its commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is in its recognition of systemic barriers to EDI and the steps to address them to build a research ecosystem in which everyone can thrive. We advance EDI in the research ecosystem by tackling systemic barriers as well as sharing expertise, knowledge mobilization, community building, and promising practices on building inclusive environments as well as on engaging in inclusive research design.
A commitment to EDI underpins all the activities of the Research Equity Team, from developing supportive educational programming for researchers, staff and students, to grant reviews and consultations, to delivering on strategic initiatives like the VPRI’s President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce (PART) recommendations while coming from a responsive, community-informed perspective. EDI considerations show up in a myriad of ways in research projects and programs across all fields and Faculties, and the Research Equity Team supports researchers in thinking through EDI implications and embedding best practices to ensure research is as rigorous and impactful as possible.
This page offers more information about the Research Equity Team, the ways we support researchers and special projects in the research ecosystem, resources and upcoming events. Please also see the FAQ page for more information.
About the Research Equity Team
The Research Equity Team is situated within the Inclusive Research Team, in the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International (OVPRI) at Waterloo. We work in alignment with the Indigenous Research Team, and our work is embedded across all three OVPRI portfolios: the Office of Research, Waterloo Ventures, and Waterloo International.
The Research Equity Team serves across three key areas:
- Enabling Transformative Learning through EDI in Research Education: Supporting faculty, staff, and students at Waterloo in learning about best practices for inclusion in research teams and research design through education and programming.
- Advancing Inclusion through Grant Reviews and Consultations: Supporting faculty with guidance and feedback on ideas and proposals at all stages of the research process (but the earlier, the better!) and with regard to inclusive teams and inclusive research design.
- Developing Innovative Pathways through Strategic EDI Programming: Leading and supporting key strategic projects on program and policy changes to remove barriers to equity in the Waterloo research ecosystem.
Enabling Transformative Learning through EDI in Research Education
- The Building Inclusive Research Capacity (BIRC) program’s five core offerings aim to build researchers' capacity to implement EDI and principles and practices for respectful Indigenous research in their research environment and project design.
- “A Better First Draft” involves a detailed workbook and workshop that, together, aim to prepare researchers to map their approaches to EDI in their research environments and design before they are in the position of proposing a research project, though it can be used at any stage of the process. Researchers can then draw from the work they have already done to address grant requirements, as needed. See the BIRC page for information on upcoming deliveries of A Better First Draft.
- Develop tools to support researchers’ engagement with EDI.
- Provide training on specific grants’ EDI requirements in collaboration with other OVPRI teams.
- Develop EDI in research events and programming with external experts.
- Develop and deliver custom training that is faculty facing and internal to the OVPRI.
Advancing Inclusion through Grant Reviews and Consultations
- Provide comprehensive expert feedback from an EDI perspective on grant application drafts, focusing on the research team/environment and research design.
- Perform consultations at any point in the research process on EDI in research team/environment and design.
- Recommend resources for further learning.
Reach out for a consultation at research.equity@uwaterloo.ca.
Developing Innovative Pathways through Strategic EDI Programming
- Lead, collaborate, and oversee the strategic implementation of the nine President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce (PART) recommendations assigned to the OVPRI.
- Use inclusive project management tools to support the Decolonizing & Establishing Payment Practices with Indigenous Community Members project.
- Lead the implementation of the Canada Research Chair (CRC) Equity Action Plan strategic projects and initiatives, including working with key internal and external collaborators, fostering collaborative spaces for Chairholders, and monitoring and reporting on program progress.
- Ensure the ongoing maintenance of the Inclusive Research Resource Hub.
- Provide strategic support to the Research Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Council.
Questions?
Questions about EDI in research? Visit our FAQ page or contact research.equity@uwaterloo.ca.