Research Impact Canada (RIC), a York-founded pan-Canadian initiative, will receive $6.4 million from the Future Skills Centre (FSC) to support future skills development and employment training for Canadians.
RIC initially received $1 million per year over three years beginning in 2020. The funding was increased to $3.3 million in 2022 and $2.1 million in 2023 for a total of $6.4 million.
The Future Skills Centre is a forward-looking centre for research and collaboration and is dedicated to helping Canadians gain the skills they need to thrive in a changing labour market. The Centre works with partners to support local approaches to skills development and training, test innovative solutions, and share and expand on evidence-based interventions.
The funding will enable RIC, a pan-Canadian network dedicated to maximizing the impact of research for public good, to develop more online training, resources and tools that can be accessed through the Future Skills Centre Community of Practice (COP), powered by Magnet, to support future skills development of Canadians. The COP platform connects skills stakeholders for peer exchange and learning, and enables RIC to convene workshops and events hosted by experts across various sectors and industries to work together to solve common challenges.
“RIC has enjoyed a productive collaboration with FSC since 2019 when we were engaged to deliver knowledge mobilization services to FSC projects,” says David Phipps, assistant vice-president, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, and network director of RIC. “We are delighted to deepen our collaboration with them to support a national community of practice.
“By connecting people to people, and people to knowledge the community of practice will support knowledge mobilization and drive the use of evidence by Canadian skills and labour market organizations,” adds Phipps.
RIC is committed to helping universities and other organizations across Canada maximize the impact of research for communities. RIC supports communities by sharing best practices, co-developing resources, and delivering training in knowledge mobilization skills.
“RIC membership has grown from two to 22 institutions supporting knowledge mobilization and research impact in research institutions across Canada,” says Amir Asif, vice-president, research & innovation. “York University has had the privilege of leading and facilitating this growth. Collaborating with FSC allows RIC to have an impact beyond the academia as it grows supports for the skills sector in Canada.”
Learn more about RIC.
The Future Skills Centre Community of Practice is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program.