In 2017, the Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI) convened a Working Group on Equity and Diversity in Research & Innovation (EDRI). In 2018, the Working Group issued a report that included 49 recommendations to support the University’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and excellence in research and innovation. All of the recommendations were accepted, and VPRI has implemented and supported these recommendations with input from a cross-divisional EDIRI Committee. Several of the recommendations in the working group report are centred around VPRI’s partnerships with the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture (PSEC), the Division of the Vice-President & Provost and Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life (VPFAL).
Nearly eight years later after the initial EDRI Working Group report was endorsed, equity, diversity and inclusion remain at the centre of our scholarly mission. We have made significant progress towards many of the recommendations, including the following.
- Increasing editorial and administrative support to ensure that major grant proposals embed EDI principles in both research environments and research design
- Collaboration with VPFAL, academic divisions, and affiliated hospitals to reach our Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program equity targets for the four designated groups (racialized individuals, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women and gender equity-seeking groups) and to addresses barriers to participation in the program
- Development of the Acceleration Consortium’s bold and transformative EDI Action Plan for the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF)
- Collaboration with academic divisions to design improved processes for the internal adjudication of Tri-agency Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) that include supplementary allocations of awards for Black and Indigenous students
- Establishment of the Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers program, administered in partnership with the Black Research Network
- Establishment of the Connaught Community Partnership Research Program to support new or early-stage collaborative research partnerships with community-based organizations
- Embedding EDI principles in the adjudication and administration of Connaught Fund programs and nominations for honours and awards
- Use of the institutional CRC EDI Stipend to implement new initiatives that support the EDI objectives of the CRC program, including the work of TIDE (Toronto Initiative for Diversity & Excellence)
- Development of EDI resources, including an EDI in Research Teams and Training Handbook, and EDI Socio-Demographic Data Guide for Program Evaluation, and EDI in Research Guides: Research Design, Environment and Team Cultures and Team Composition
- Bringing awareness to other resources and guides related to EDI in research design and research practice
- Building connections with the Institutional Research Data Governance (IRDG) Office to ensure clear communication about institutionally available data and participation on the EDI data sub-committee
- Provides guidance to relevant University offices and divisions for implementation of the EDIRI Working Group’s recommendations
Staff
Staff
