The Interior University Research Coalition will enhance research and innovation opportunities at three B.C. Interior universities.
The Interior University Research Coalition (IURC), a recently established partnership between the University of Northern BC (UNBC), Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (UBC Okanagan), has identified its first major research initiative: disaster mitigation.
The research subject was identified after several symposia and meetings with the mayors from Prince George, Kamloops and Kelowna and the premier of British Columbia, John Horgan, says Dr. Geoff Payne, UNBC’s vice president of research and graduate programs.
The coalition was established at the end of 2017 when the three universities signed an agreement to form a core of research and innovation talent in the B.C. Interior to further develop innovation in the region and work to build and strengthen new and traditional industries.
“Research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the post-secondary sector are critical to our 21st century economy. Research and innovation supports industry demands as well as improving the lives of citizens in the Interior, throughout our province and across the country,” says Melanie Mark, B.C.’s minister of advanced education, skills and training.
The students are the next generation of thought leaders. We’re trying to ensure there’s sharing of graduate students and sharing of faculty that can be at each institution.
— Dr. Geoff Payne, Vice president of research and graduate programs, University of Northern BC
Engagement was an important part of the process to identify the first project, says Dr. Payne.
“We asked: What are the issues facing the Interior, and how can we use our expertise to benefit these communities. We recognized very early on that the Interior, like the Lower Mainland, has a lot of uniqueness. Rather than compete, we felt it would be really great for us to mobilize around research questions that are important for the Interior,” he says.
“Education is expensive. Government funds us. If we can find a way to maximize that return on investment and come together and coalesce around common resources and utilize the collective, unique strengths of these institutions, that’s fantastic,” says Dr. Payne.
There’s no shortage of potential research-focused initiatives. Working with First Nations communities, community engagement, environment sustainability, natural resources, reclamation, remediation related to natural resource extraction and health access, including mental health, are just some of the issues important to the B.C. Interior.
For the disaster mitigation initiative, each university will concentrate on an area of strength while maximizing collaboration.
In addition to major projects, the coalition is working to facilitate mobility and academic opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty.
“The students are the next generation of thought leaders,” says Dr. Payne. “We’re trying to ensure there’s sharing of graduate students and sharing of faculty that can be at each institution,” he says.
Referring to enhanced mobility, Dr. Payne says it will enable students to move between the universities to connect with – and draw on – the expertise of faculty at all three universities.
“And philosophically, the notion of mobility also supports the movement and exchange of ideas between the three universities,” he adds.
The universities are also exploring funding smaller initiatives.
“Outside of the context of disaster mitigation, there’s other faculty that want to work together, so seed grants will support those projects.
“We want to provide the best opportunities for the students and faculty in our universities and ensure their efforts are recognized within their communities,” says Dr. Payne.
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