Strategic Plan (2021‑26)

3. High‑impact research

Our researchers are scholars, innovators, and entrepreneurs who drive Dalhousie’s positive impact on society


Building on our legacy of groundbreaking research and outstanding scholarship, we will continue to focus our efforts on growing world-leading research programs in areas of particular strength, and invest in infrastructure that supports our researchers to achieve excellence.

We will evaluate our progress through Times Higher Education (THE), Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), and U15 rankings, aiming for steady progress towards the top 200 globally and higher rankings nationally across U15 categories.

Actions:

1. As we continue to fully support our Research and Innovation Strategic Direction, Dalhousie will encourage and support emerging areas of discovery and exploration that may lead to potential world-leading pre-eminence and are also aligned with community, provincial, and regional needs, and target internal, philanthropic, and other investments to develop the full potential of our research clusters.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Increased number of research publications by 13%, citations by 36% since 2018
  • Increased research funding by more than 55% since 2017 (from $137M to $214M)
  • Launched new internal funding – Belong Fellowship, VPRIIS, and Next Wave funding for Centres and Institutes
  • Launched Ocean Strategy
  • Shared Research Resource Management proposal Phase 1 approved

Upcoming Priorities

  • Advance Ocean Research and I3V strategies
  • Develop strategies for clean tech and food security
  • Review and refresh the Research and Innovation Strategic Direction (by 2023)
  • Enhance support for shared research resources
2. Enhance logistical research services, funding, and other supports for our research communities. In turn, the Dalhousie community will maintain a high standard of research and scholarly excellence that fully considers ethical and social dimensions of its impact and is celebrated through multiple dimensions of dissemination, diverse grant capture opportunities, industrial and philanthropic partnerships, research networks, and multi-faceted community engagement.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Moved grants submission process fully online; other processes in development for a breadth of research funding and supports
  • Completed initial business process mapping of ORS; initiated refinement related to service timelines
  • Indigenous Research Facilitator position created and implemented

Upcoming Priorities

  • Develop research supports in tandem with increasing opportunites
  • Facilitate strategic engagement with institutional opportunities to maintain and grow state of the art research and research facilities
3. Through collaborative efforts between Research & Innovation and Government & Global Relations, identify and nurture new research networks, nationally and internationally, with particular focus on high- value partnerships.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Increased number of international research proposals by 5% over 2018
  • Increased number of publications published with international co-authors by 18%
  • Created Office of Government and Global Relations
  • VPRI initiated key international partnerships

Upcoming Priorities

  • Partner with Government & Global Relations to develop key international research partnerships
  • Expand knowledge and engagement with international research funding opportunities
4. Increase the number and diversity of our PhD and post-doctoral scholars by attracting new sources of funding, working with other institutions and global partners, and reinforcing our efforts to enhance the professional development of our PhD students to facilitate access to an expanding number of career opportunities.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Waiver of international tuition fees for PhD students implemented
  • Normalized tuition for PhD students over the 4 years of the degree
  • PhD Capacity Report completed
  • Increased number of PhD students by nearly 20% since 2018
  • Launched Professional Development certificate in 2021

Upcoming Priorities

  • Implement recommendations in PhD Capacity Report
  • Review and increase financial supports for PhD students
  • Partner with Faculties on recruitment
  • Improve visibility of research facilities for graduate student recruitment and accessibility
  • Attract thesis-based Master’s students in research groups where there is a high likelihood of these students staying for their PhD
  • Explore potential linkages between undergraduate and graduate studies with partner institutions (2+2/3 agreements, etc.)
5. Intensify our effort to expand and strengthen our R&D linkages with industry and community partners and sharpen our focus on mission-oriented, problem-solving research and policy relevant community outreach and communication. We will use the framework of the UN SDGs to ensure local and global consequence.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Revamped Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement to streamline partnership activities with industry
  • Recruited new Managing Directors of Commercialization & Licensing and Industry Engagement & Customer Experience
  • Engaged with 100+ ocean sector companies on AI opportunities through DeepSense
  • Established partnership with Port of Halifax through DeepSense

Upcoming Priorities

  • Increase focus on business development, both internally and externally
  • Improve partner access to research facilities
  • Grow corporate partnerships
  • Become more transparent, streamline processes and grow the team innovatively
6. Formalize and streamline Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) programming across Dalhousie in keeping with national and global growth in the startup economy and social enterprise in ways that benefit our region and further drive our industry engagement.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Expanded I&E programming, including national leadership on Mitacs Innovation strategies
  • Launched Ready2Launch and Scientist2Entrepreneur –programs for researchers who are completing a Master’s, PhD, or Postdoc
  • Launched Invention2Innovation Skills Training – developing an entrepreneurial mindset for scientists and engineers taking ideas to market
  • Launched MindFrame Connect – a new program focused on entrepreneurial resilience and fostering better mentorship and coaching skills
  • Launch of Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor and certificate – first cohort graduated in May 2022
  • Established the I & E Steering Committee
  • Established the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Dal Innovates)

Upcoming Priorities

  • Grow Creative Destruction Lab programming
  • Develop microcredentialing opportunities
  • Solidify Lab2Market programs in national platform
7. Collect and share essential research performance data to refine Dalhousie’s rankings submissions and raise awareness of our accomplishments with a view to ensuring that our efforts are reflected in Dalhousie’s place in national and global university rankings.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Formed the rankings Executive Group and Working Group
  • Developed a Ranking Strategy
  • SIF funding to purchase Rankings data products to inform our submissions

Upcoming Priorities

  • Implement the Ranking Strategy
  • Use rankings data products to inform ranking submissions
  • Work with Communications, Marketing & Creative Services to elevate Dalhousie’s reputation and profile
8. Integrate sustainability, environmental responsibility, social justice, and climate change themes in funding campaigns to support the UN SDG goals and clusters embedded within Dalhousie’s Research and Innovation Strategic Direction.

Key Achievements to Date

  • Framed R&I Strategic Direction in the SDGs
  • Included SDGs in ROMEO key words to enable evaluation of Research Clusters
  • Established survey of researcher engagement with the SDGs
  • Launched Green Labs program
  • Received grant to host 17 Rooms event

Upcoming Priorities

  • Implement and expand Green Labs program engagement
  • Build awareness of sustainability initiatives
  • Develop and enhance reporting on all 17 SDGs
  • Advance from Gold toward Platinum status (STARs)
  • Achieve synergies across pillars and resources to facilitate ranking impacts
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4. Civic university with global impact

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