In this issue:

Message from the VPRI:  What’s new in the Office of the VPRI

Charmaine Dean

Welcome to the 2022-23 academic year. I hope you had a pleasant summer and are prepared to navigate the opportunities and challenges of the new year.  The last few months have been quite busy and eventful, and I am pleased to announce a few initiatives and changes that are underway in our office.

A new unit – Waterloo Ventures – has been added to my portfolio.  This area, led by Professor Karim S. Karim (Associate Vice-President, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship) will advance innovation on campus, and will enable entrepreneurs and founders to thrive and succeed in their ventures.  In addition to housing the Velocity Incubator and the Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo) under its umbrella, the unit will also launch new initiatives aimed at thought leadership and social impact.  More information will be provided as we continue to develop this area and finalize its mission, mandate, and structure.

Through consultations over the spring and summer, we learned that you are seeking more information and updates on initiatives and operations from my office.  We have decided to launch a newsletter, called Key Notes, to help address this need.   The purpose of this newsletter is to collate information from units across the VPRI portfolio, which will be useful to you.  Content from this newsletter will raise awareness on the services provided by the office, will be relevant to multiple academic disciplines and faculties, and will discuss important changes and information emerging from the external environment.  We hope that consolidating and streamlining information in this manner will make it easier for you to stay informed.  We will continue to search for various channels and avenues to facilitate the flow of information.

We have also launched a VPRI website, which will house the newsletter and other important information such as introductions to my leadership team, their contact information, and the areas their areas of responsibility.   There are many exciting initiatives and projects that we are planning for the year, and we will keep you informed at every step of the way.  Stay tuned, and please subscribe to this newsletter for updates.

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Developing Waterloo’s Institutional Data Management Strategy

Circuit lines forming a human head in space

Hopefully by now you have seen that the University of Waterloo is developing our institutional strategy for Research Data Management (RDM). Through a survey targeted to all Waterloo researchers and engagement with governance bodies at both the university and faculty levels across the institution, we have completed an environmental scan to determine current resources on campus, gaps that exist, and how data management could be enhanced. We have heard loud and clear that while there are many wonderful RDM resources across the university, we need to consider coordinating structures, enhancing visibility, and finding other ways to support researchers as they generate, store, secure, share, and preserve their research data. We want to ensure that researchers receive support on data security, working with Indigenous communities and data, and know how to process their data.

This work is being carried out by the RDM Working Group, a collaborative working group bringing together representatives from the Office of Research, the Library, IST, as well as faculty and research support staff. The short-term impetus for this work is the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, which mandates that by March 2023 all Tri-Agency eligible institutions have an institutional RDM strategy, but our working group is aiming to not just “comply” but to help support path-breaking research through viewing research data as a strategic resource.

What is next for us? Throughout Fall term, the RDM Working Group will be working with our consultants, Athenaeum21, on the generation of a draft RDM policy.  Stay tuned, as there will be many opportunities for researchers on campus to provide feedback and commentary.

For more information on the RDM Strategy, please contact Ian Milligan (i2milligan@uwaterloo.ca) or Alison Hitchens (ahitchen@uwaterloo.ca).

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Research Horizons – Come dialogue with leaders

A hand holding a crystal sphere in front of a sunset cascading over a body of water

The Office is launching a new speaker series this Fall for our research community called Research Horizons. The series, which will host dialogues with leaders from various agencies, will be held in person in the Enterprise Theatre, EC5 1111, on the Waterloo campus.  This series will be especially beneficial to faculty members, graduate student, and postdoctoral researchers.

This Fall, we have invited Kate Geddie (Senior Director, Research, CIFAR), Raed Kadri (Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives, Business Development for the Ontario Centre of Innovation and Head of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), and Ted Hewitt (President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to give talks and meet with our community on October 5th, November 2nd, and December 8th, respectively.

For more information and to register for these events, please visit this link.

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Velocity is opening three new creator spaces on campus

A student in a lab coat using a pipette and flask while wearing a mask.

Most of you know us as the Velocity Incubator, where we support early-stage start-up founders in our Kitchener downtown space. Over the years, we have also expanded on campus to support Waterloo students through Concept by Velocity (which is now simply Velocity), Problem Lab and Zero. This fall, we will have even more on-campus opportunities with the re-opening of Velocity Science (in collaboration with the Faculty of Science) — set to welcome a new wave of student trailblazer’s with a passion for starting a science-based company. We are also opening the Problem Lab HQ (MC 2037) and Velocity Digital (SCH 228) creator spaces, in addition to hosting a lineup of in-person events for all skill levels.

The President Braids company receives a large cheque from Velocity for the Summer 2022 Concept 5K.

Through Velocity programs, students (and faculty) can validate their ideas and develop business strategies through workshops, hackathons, networking, one-on-one coaching, grant funding competitions like the Velocity $5K (formerly Concept $5K) and more. Meet some of our student-entrepreneurs, like The President Braids (Velocity $5K spring 2022 winner) and Cauchy Analytics (Velocity $5k winter 2022 winner) and Maesos Technologies (winter 2022 Problem Pitch winner).

Want to learn more about the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem on campus? Be our guest! Join us in the SLC, on September 20th for the University of Waterloo Innovation Ecosystem event from 11:30am to 1:30pm and explore all that our entrepreneurial ecosystem has to offer through panel discussions, founder stories, Q&A opportunities, networking and more. Students will be able to connect with advisors and mentors from Velocity, Problem Lab, Zero, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, GreenHouse (Social Impact Incubator), Grebel Peace Incubator and the Library.   The event is open to everyone, and food and beverage will be provided by the University of Waterloo food services.

Note: We are growing! We are hiring for the following positions: Senior Manager Velocity 5G Creator Space, Community Engagement Specialist, Associate Director, Startup Development and Director of Incubation and Operations.

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Meet the Inclusive Research Team

Icons of a microscope, rainbow with a heart underneath, person in a wheelchair, person in a hijab, a circle with an X, four people connected by a circle, and person wearing a turban. The pattern repeats in three rows.

Do you want to embed equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous research (EDIIR) considerations in your research design, output, and work environment, but are not sure where to start? The Inclusive Research Unit in the Office of Research can help!

The Inclusive Research Unit aims to create a more equitable and inclusive research ecosystem at the University.  It is made up of two collaborative teams – Research Equity and Indigenous Research – with Leslie Cove as its director, and also includes Tamara Zur (Senior Manager, Research Equity), Sara Anderson (Manager, Research Program Development & Partnerships, Indigenous Initiatives), Sharlee Cranston-Reimer (Research Equity Advisor), and Stephanie Platero (Research Equity Advisor).

In the last few years, a lot has been said about embedding equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism in research, teaching, and learning on campus (for example, see the recommendations from the President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce).   However, researchers can often be challenged by how these topics can be thoughtfully applied to their work.   The Inclusive Research Unit is here to help through knowledge mobilization, specialized consultations, workshops, grant resources and advice, and collaborations across campus.   The communities of focus for their work includes faculty/researchers, research administrators and the VPRI portfolio staff.  

As part of its 2022/23 training plan, the unit will offer staff in the VPRI portfolio monthly Lunch and Learn sessions – informal in-person gatherings over lunch on different topics of EDI and Indigenous Research. These sessions will be held on the last Tuesday of each month led by people from the Inclusive Research team and will ensure there is a chance for discussion. The first three Lunch and Learns will be:

  • Tuesday, September 27 – 12:00 – 1:00 pm – Land Acknowledgements with Sara Anderson (Multipurpose Room)
  • Tuesday, October 25 – 12:00 – 1:00 pm – Inclusive Hiring Practices with Tamara Zur (Multipurpose Room)
  • Tuesday, November 29 – 12:00 – 1:00 pm – Introduction to Inclusive Leadership with Leslie Cove (Multipurpose Room)

Please contact the Inclusive Research team (research.equity@uwaterloo.ca) if you would like more information on EDIIR consultations, or other information.

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Research Finance tips

A part of a calculator is shown on the left corner of the image and a the tip of a pen is shown on the right. The two objects are on top of a paper featuring a chart.

As the Fall 2022 term begins and research activity ramps up, we would like to welcome all new and returning researchers! Below are reminders and answers to common questions you may have:

  • How do I access financial reporting, pay vendor invoices, or create purchase requisitions?
  • How am I reimbursed for personally incurred expenses (travel and non-travel)?
  • How do I hire and pay students and research staff?
    • Graduate research studentship payments are made via Quest and the department grad coordinator
    • To pay graduate research assistants, students, or research staff employment income:
  • Where can I access more information related to spending research funding?

Visit the Finance Training & Reference Material site for training documentation and other helpful material.

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Staff changes

The Office of Research is pleased to welcome Sarah Strader in her new role with Research Partnerships as a Grants and Contracts Manager. Sarah will fill the role created by Lynda McCutcheon’s retirement and will be responsible for the NSERC partnership programs with particular focus on NSERC Alliance suite of programs. Sarah brings with her valuable experience from her time working on the NSERC Team in FANS.  For help with NSERC Alliance, please feel welcome to message Sarah at sarah.strader@uwaterloo.ca.

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