Vice-President (Research) message

Research makes a difference. It drives growth and has profound benefits on society, the economy, and industry. Academic scholarship changes lives and the way we live them. And the stakes are high. Look no further than the global COVID-19 pandemic, the dire predictions around catastrophic climate change, the threat to the world’s freshwater supply, and the growing mental health and addictions crises that are claiming more lives everyday.

Throughout this issue of Discourse, you will read about the diversity of scholarship at the University of Regina – critical research that helps to define our thriving research enterprise. Through their important work, University researchers are addressing critical problems facing Saskatchewan and beyond.

In our research, as well as everywhere else in the University of Regina, we value and encourage diversity. Through diversity and inclusion, our research is becoming stronger, more comprehensive, and is having more profound and lasting impacts on our people and our environment. Through our signature research areas—Digital Futures, Climate and Environment, Living Heritage, and Health and Wellness—we are growing our research enterprise to meet the needs of our people, our province, and our world.

In the last five years, our research funding has grown by more than $12 million. We are proud that this support is derived from various sources, including from all levels of government, industry, and not-for-profit contracts. Funding helps to ensure that we have the right people and the right infrastructure required to achieve research excellence, producing the kind of results that benefit our many stakeholders. The monetary support also allows us to conduct multi-stage research and development programs, providing our undergraduate and graduate students with both the theoretical and hands-on skills they need to meet the demands of new and emerging fields. The types of research projects our students are a part of—and lead—are preparing them for whatever the future of work looks like in the coming years and decades.

University of Regina research operates as a core engine to local, regional, and provincial growth and serves to protect Saskatchewan’s longterm sustainability goals. The work we do supports governments, communities, industries, and people – and while the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we conduct some of our research, we continue to work alongside all of our partners to grow the provincial economy, attract highly qualified personnel to Saskatchewan, and tackle some of the most significant challenges of our time.

Through Discourse, we are proud to highlight how our myriad projects reflect the power that curiosity, research, and teamwork have on discovery. Our collaborations, partnerships, and innovations make a difference in the lives of people across Saskatchewan. Whether by helping to protect public health, foster growth in the agricultural sector, improve the quality of our infrastructure so that it can withstand the harsh and unpredictable climate now and in the future, our work is making a difference.

Through informing public policy, water management, and agriculture, our research is building a more resilient province and country.

Our work elevates the research and development of alternate and clean energy sources by working with our partners to make the best use of Canada’s natural resources, sustain and enhance energy systems and processes, and explore a forward-thinking transition to a low-carbon energy future.

Our scholars are fueled by the power of discovery. They continuously strive to make an impact through their crucial research that is advancing a transition to a better future where we all can thrive.

 

Dr. Kathleen McNut, Vice-President (Research)