January 24, 2008
VPRI
STRATEGIC PLAN PRESENTATION
Introduction
• Strategic Planning Process
– Mission Statement
– Objectives
– Goals
– Action Plan
– Gathering Background Information
– Strategic Planning Committee
– Resources
Goals
• Create the vision that supports SRC activities
– Advance the University’s SRC Agenda through creation of
endowed chairs, support of PDF activities, support and
development of infrastructure and space, and research
collaborations
• Invest in new funding opportunities and maximizing the
SRC output of the institution
– Work to actively encourage an increase in the proportion of
Faculty engaged in SRC
– Develop new sources of research funding
• Advance SRC among different communities
– Provide additional opportunities for collaboration within
Ryerson and through external partnerships
Goals Continued…
• Propel our ideas and innovations into the community,
industry and marketplace
– Promote knowledge transfer and commercialization
– Rationalize IP policies and provide additional opportunities for
researchers to dock with commercial enterprises
• Increase Ryerson’s impact nationally and internationally
– Work to develop partnerships to build Ryerson’s research
footprint
Goals Continued…
• Continue to invest in the development of our
undergraduate and graduate programs
– Work to align the vision of the VPRI with that Provost in building
an integrated strategic plan that recognized Research as central
to the University Mission
• Reputation Building
– Work to attract research prizes, awards and fellowship to
enhance the profile of Ryerson within the research community
– Examine collaborations with University Advancement and
Faculties to forward the SRC goals and celebrate successes
• Public advocacy on research and building relations
– Work with Government, Community and Industrial stakeholders
to advocate for Ryerson’s research aspirations
Goals Continued…
• Create a vision and administrative structure that supports
SRC activities
– Build the operational infrastructure with sufficient capacity to
promote and encourage growth of Ryerson’s SRC goals
• Measure our progress and adjust policies as needed
– Benchmark against accepted metrics to ensure that the VPRI is
delivering on its stated goals and initiatives
Consultations
• The VPRI will be consulting with academic,
community, and external stakeholders in
developing the strategic plan
• The plan will recognize the unique strengths of
Faculties
January 24, 2008
THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF
RYERSON’S SCHOLARLY, RESEARCH AND
CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
OIA Mandate
The Office of International Affairs (OIA) works
within the University community to
strengthen Ryerson’s international
partnerships and expand the range of
overseas experiences for students and faculty.
Context - Internationalization
• Internationalization is becoming increasingly
important to Canadian institutions
– As of 2006, 95% of universities reference the
international dimension in their strategic planning
documents, as compared to 84% in 2000 (AUCC)
– Canadian universities are increasingly backing
their interest in internationalization with concrete
measures and investments
Why internationalize?
• Prepare internationally knowledgeable
graduates
• Build strategic alliances abroad
• Promote curricular innovation & program
diversity
• Ensure research and scholarship address
international and national issues
• Respond to Canada’s labour market needs
International Research
Collaboration
• As of 2003, only 3.6% of world knowledge came from
Canada (0.5 % of the world’s population) –
Emphasizing the point that Canadian researchers
need to be part of international networks
• No longer sole domain of natural sciences and
engineering
• Shift from individual researcher collaborations
towards collaboration stemming from specific
priorities and strengths of institutions
Barriers to undertaking
international research
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Setting clear and strategic priorities
Involving faculty members
Securing financial support
Coordinating government involvement
Sharing knowledge among institutions
OIA’s support for the development of
the VPRI’s Strategic Plan
• Work with the Faculties to collect data on
their strategic objectives for the
internationalization of SRC activities
• Inform the work and decisions to be made by
the Strategic Planning Committee, through the
collection of data and information as needed
OIA’s support for the development of
the VPRI’s Strategic Plan
• Inform the Strategic Planning Committee of
Federal and Provincial Government priorities
for international research collaboration and
match these with the SRC strengths at
Ryerson, and relevant funding opportunities
• Identify strategic Canadian and international
partners to pursue funded international SRC
opportunities
OIA
• Marsha McEachrane-Mikhail, Director, OIA
and International Liaison Officer
– (416) 979-5000 x-6995
– mmceachr@ryerson.ca
– www.ryerson.ca/oia
January 24, 2008
OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES
Objective
• Provide administrative support services for
SRC to internal and external stakeholders
• E.g.
– Review and assistance in preparation of proposals
– Financial processing, monitoring and reporting
– Seed programs
– Research statistics
Motivation
• Help faculty members achieve their SRC goals
• Advance and protect the reputation of the
University
• Fulfill our contractual obligations
Landscape
• Increased competition for external dollars
• Increased complexity in the management of
awards – “Accountability”
Goals
• A plan that will simultaneously allow us to
grow our SRC income and lessen the burden
on faculty
Supporting the Vision
• Provision of background materials and
statistics
• Consultation with counterpart offices at other
universities
Key components
• Increased support for the development of
proposals
• Improved systems and better use of existing
systems
• Streamlining of processes
• Appropriate balance between local and
central administrative supports
ORS
• Robert Dirstein
– (416) 979-5000 x-7609
– dirstein@ryerson.ca
January 24, 2008
INDUSTRIAL LIAISON AND
COMMERCIALIZATION
Objective
• To support Ryerson’s research agenda by
promoting knowledge transfer and
commercialization of SRC outputs
• To foster relationships with industrial partners
and create a collaborative environment in
support of research and innovation efforts
Motivation
• Ontario universities and colleges have world class
researchers and facilities – capability exists to
conduct research
• There are many excellent sector-specific
programs and supports for research initiatives…
Auto21, MaRS, OCE…
• There exists a gap in translating new ideas
efficiently to into innovative, economically viable
products – requires the right people and an
appropriate forum
Importance of Innovation
• Example Situation:
– If Canadian industry wants to compete on price alone,
then LCCs (Low Cost Countries) will win
– But if our industry can continuously come up with new
products, processes and services that meet market
demand, we have the “first to market” advantage over
LCCs
• Answer:
– We need to drive the innovation agenda and do it at
several levels simultaneously
Landscape
• The Federal Government has been developing
its innovation strategy since 2002, aiming to
"move Canada to the front ranks of the
world's most innovative countries"
• In 2007 the Federal Government issued its
S&T Strategy, stressing that "For Canadians to
enjoy a high quality of life and standard of
living, we must improve our productivity and
competitiveness through innovation."
Canada’s Ranking
Most recently, Canada's report card on
innovation was released and
prominently publicized in the media.
The Conference Board, a not-for-profit,
economic think-tank based in Ottawa
gave Canada a grade of "D" in
innovation, ranked 14th out of 17 OECD
countries concluded that "Innovation is
centrally important to Canada's
competitiveness and sustainable
prosperity, but our performance is
woefully inadequate."
Summary
• Canada’s productivity and competitiveness are
falling
• Social Innovation – the focus of a great deal of
Canada’s R&D investment – is strong and is
respected world-wide, but difficult to quantify
$ results
• Our entrepreneurial culture is weak
• Canada’s Innovation Eco-System is complex,
but needs to be understood by participants
Solution
• The gap between R and D can prove
insurmountable leaving great ideas to languish
• We are working to develop a plan that will fill this
conceptual gap with a new innovation
methodology that provides guidance in navigating
the move from lab to market
• The result will be a new methodology with
foundations in both academia and business for
collecting the outputs of research and creative
endeavours and getting them to market quickly
Goals
• To build within Ryerson the premier Innovation
and Commercialization framework in Canada
• To develop new means and methods of
innovation and commercialization
• To construct the much needed translation
apparatus to take the excellent outputs of
Ryerson SRC and turn them into commercially
viable processes, systems and products
• To improve Ontario’s competitiveness
Synergy
• The objective will not be to set the research
agenda, but to provide a concrete avenue for
implementing research outputs
• Industry, Academia and Government will act
in an advisory capacity to ensure a
collaborative environment – a synergy of
purpose
• Across-the-board support of VPRI Strategic
Plan
Commercialization
• Steven Martin
– (416) 979-5000 x-2792
– steven.martin@ryerson.ca
January 24, 2008
RESEARCH INTEGRITY AND
PARTNERSHIPS
Academic Integrity
University research is governed by policies
and practices that ensure the protection of:
• research participants
• faculty, student or staff researcher
• the University
• the public
Creating a Culture of Research
Integrity
Develop and oversee research integrity and
compliance programs for:
• Research involving humans
• Research involving animals
• Research involving controlled goods
Role
• Consultation with faculty and students
• Educating and motivating the Ryerson
community
• School of Graduate Studies support
• Advice and outreach to senior management
• Networking with integrity community
• Development of Research partnerships
• Introduction of SRC Integrity Policy
Contribution to Goals and Action Plan
• Create the vision that supports SRC activities
• Advance SRC among different communities
• Propel our ideas and innovations into the
community, industry and marketplace
• Reputation Building
• Public advocacy on research and building
relations
Research Integrity
• Alex Karabanow
– (416) 979-5000 x-7112
– alex.karabanow@ryerson.ca