Throughout November, York's Research Month has celebrated the diversity and relevance of the University's research community. The month – which has seen interesting displays and demonstrations in the Vari Hall Rotunda, research workshops, the YORKwrites celebration and the awarding of the President's Research Excellence Award – is culminating with the launch of the redeveloped York Research Web site.
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The Web site will serve as a key online resource for researchers, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at York, as well as for external agencies, donors, industry partners, government and those interested in finding out more about York’s research excellence, strategy and strengths.
An interesting feature of the redeveloped Web site is the York University Researcher Support Centre menu, which provides access to funding opportunities and applications. Researchers can easily access pre- and post-award services to support their research. A special multimedia centre hosts videos of workshops on funding opportunities. The Web site is also a point of access to research accounting, computing and procurement services as well as contact information and processes for technology transfer and commercialization.
“The new Research Web site communicates the excellence of internationally renowned research at York. While recognizing knowledge leaders at York, the site demonstrates the impact of our research on society, economy and technology,” says Stan Shapson, York's vice-president research & innovation.
“The funding that York receives through government agencies and donors is important in the knowledge being shared, disseminated and mobilized to solve many of the critical challenges that face our society,” adds Shapson. “The site will convey that message to a global audience, inviting partnerships and encouraging collaboration.”
As visitors browse through the site, they can see first-hand, through a sampling of York's community projects, how knowledge sharing for the benefit of society works. They can also read about the global impact of cutting-edge research and how technology transfer results in spin-off companies. The site also invites community organizations, businesses and industries, government agencies and academic institutions to collaborate with York researchers.
Equipped with the potential for expansion of social media tools, the Web site has the capacity to steadily grow based on usage of different sections. Measured through periodic needs assessments, the tools will be activated as required. Research stories published in YFile will be disseminated through RSS feeds to subscribers, encouraging researchers to share stories of their research successes.The site can also be shared through e-mail, Twitter and Facebook, and visitors can subscribe to receive the monthly research e-newsletter.
The Research Web site redevelopment was led by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation in collaboration with University Information Technology (UIT) Research Computing and Marketing & Communications' Account Direction. The site is built by UIT's Development Services and designed by H2 Central, a member of York University's roster of Web agencies.
Visit the newly enhanced Research Web site at www.research.yorku.ca. Comments and feedback are welcome and can be sent to Sana Mulji Dutt, research communications officer, by e-mail to vpriweb@yorku.ca.