After eight months of consultation with the community, and internal and external research partners, the York University Senate has unanimously approved the University’s new Strategic Research Plan (SRP), “Towards New Heights.”
Robert Haché
“York’s new SRP builds on our strengths and provides a strong aspirational vision for the development and recognition of York’s research over the next five years,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation. “I would like to thank the entire York community for their positive response to the consultation process and earnest engagement that made such an important contribution to the development of the plan. We will continue to invest in the growth and development of research at York. This will, in turn, enrich our academic reputation as a recognized, leading and research-intensive university.”
The SRP advances York’s commitment to research excellence and to the development and application of new knowledge to the benefit of society, as described in six intersecting themes that define our broad strengths:
- Advancing Fundamental Inquiry and Critical Knowledge;
- Analyzing Cultures and Mobilizing Creativity;
- Building Healthy Lives, Communities and Environments;
- Exploring and Interrogating the Frontiers of Science and Technology;
- Forging a Just and Equitable World; and
- Integrating Entrepreneurial Innovation and the Public Good.
The SRP also articulates five areas of opportunities where we see potential to further accelerate research growth and success. These five areas of opportunity are timely and they address some of the most important challenges that we currently face. These will propel York ahead of the curve in rising to meet newly emerging challenges. They include:
- Digital Cultures;
- Healthy Individuals, Health Communities and Global Health;
- Indigenous Futurities;
- Integration of Artificial Intelligence into Society; and
- Public Engagement for a Just and Sustainable World.
Research at York University makes a significant impact on the social, economic, cultural and other well-being of the communities the University serves
An operational plan to support research development
Through the new SRP, the University is implementing the objectives set out for research in the University Academic Plan, which identifies research intensification as a key University goal and recognizes research as a core endeavor that broadly enriches the institution.
In 2016, as part of the York’s Integrated Institutional Resource Planning Process (IIRP), the office of the Vice-President of Research and Innovation led the collegial development of PIER (Plan for the Intensification and Enhancement of Research). PIER provides an operational framework for research across the University that is meant to enable the success of the SRP in achieving the aspirations of the University’s Academic Plan.
Through a strategic combination of broadly based and focused investments over the course of the next five years, York will continue its development as a leading Canadian research university. “York’s scholarship enhances our culture and works toward the betterment of society, making a significant impact on the social, economic, cultural and other well-being of the communities we serve,” said Haché.
To view the full plan, click here.