Research Support
Building connections and research partnerships
November 17, 2022
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Excellence in research is one of the fundamental pillars of Queen’s. Advancing critical knowledge to solve the world’s biggest challenges is part of our institutional commitments, and one to be pursued in collaboration with key stakeholders, including government partners. Connecting science and policy is crucial to fuel research success.
Support for the research enterprise
On Wednesday, Nov. 16, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced major investments to support the Canadian research landscape. The announcement was made during the Minister’s live remarks at the Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC 2022) and reflects fulfillment of commitments from Budget 2022.
“Canadian research helps improve our society, economy and healthcare, time and time again. That’s why our government remains committed to supporting the country’s world-class research community”, says Minister Champagne. “We know the vital role research and science play in growing our economy, and today’s investments will help Canada cement its position as a world leader in research and innovation.”
One of the grant results announced was the Research Support Fund (RSF), which helps institutions “enhance their safety and security procedures, hire adequate administrative support for various tasks, and advance projects that prioritize innovation as well as equity, diversity and inclusion”. The fund also supports the creation of online research databases, and maintaining research structures in unique and remote areas. The federal government has committed to a $7,918,571 investment to Queen’s research via the RSF, plus $1,253,840 through the Incremental Project Grants.
As a result of the 2022 Insight Development Grants competition funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), 13 Queen’s researchers were granted over 770k to advance research in topics like childcare equity, gender gaps in the labour market, resilience in family caregivers, sustainable economy, and indigenous weather forecasting. This funding provides support for research in its initial stages, including those based on new research questions, methods, theoretical approaches and/or ideas.
For more information on the Queen’s recipients, please see below:
Insight Development Grants
| Researcher | Project | Awarded amount |
| Joseph Kangmennaang | Identifying and mobilizing resources to promote early learning and childcare equity in London and Kingston Ontario: A community-based participatory GIS approach. | $ 69,199 |
| Steven Lehrer | New Evidence on Gender Gaps in the Labour Market and Higher Education from Portuguese Administrative Data | $ 57,828 |
| Merin Xavier | Just Eats: Stories of food, identity, and resistance | $ 54,234 |
| Nahim Bin Zahur | Learning-by-Doing in the Electric Vehicle Battery Industry | $ 38,265 |
| Jingyu Zhang | Do hedge funds exploit material non-public information? | $ 67,203 |
| Afolasade Fakolade | Changing the caregiving landscape: A digital toolkit to enhance resilience in family caregivers of Canadians living with multiple sclerosis | $ 64,976 |
| Marie Myers | Post COVID sustainable economy of means in aging | $ 55,400 |
| Jillian O'Connor | Implicit measures of trustworthiness: A new method to test perceptions of voice pitch | $ 52,874 |
| Amanda Bongers | An arts integration approach to engaging chemistry students in visual reasoning | $ 65,000 |
| Jorge Legoas P. | What the wind knows: Indigenous weather forecasting between divination and planning | $ 72,519 |
| Anita Tusche | Mapping social cognition in complex daily settings | $ 69,423 |
| Bradley Weinberg | Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector of Canada in Light of the Constitutional Right to Strike: Legislative Changes and their Impact on Conflict and Wages | $ 42,471 |
| Samuel Dahan | Building Accessible Vaccine Support Programs | $ 66,168 |
Key relationships with key stakeholders
The relationship between Queen’s and government partners was also strengthened by two visits during this week.
On Monday, Nov. 14, Minister Champagne visited Queen’s to speak with students and meet with senior leadership and members of the research community who are advancing life-saving research and clean energy to build a stronger and more resilient Canada.
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, SSHRC’s president Ted Hewitt were also welcomed on campus. He and his team met with Queen’s senior leadership and early career researchers. “It was a great pleasure to be able to spend time at Queen's and to learn firsthand about the exciting work Queen's faculty and students are undertaking. As always, SSHRC stands ready to support these ground-breaking initiatives now and well into the future," said Hewitt. The visit schedule included meetings with scholars in Indigenous and Black Studies research.
“Between visits from Minister Champagne and Ted Hewitt, and new funding for our social sciences and humanities scholars, this has been an incredibly exciting week for research at Queen’s,” says Nancy Ross, Vice-Principal Research. “These engagements remind us of the critical importance of working in partnership with government to support research that is pushing the boundaries of knowledge and tackling the world’s greatest challenges.”
Queen’s discusses science policy
As part of CSPC 2022, on Thursday, Nov. 17, Queen’s will host a panel of academics and industry representatives to discuss critical technologies and essential policies to better support Canada's low-carbon economy. Speakers include Warren Mabee (Queen’s School of Policy Studies), representatives from Kiwetinohk Energy Corp., Anna Harrison (French National Scientific Research Centre), Joule Bergerson (University of Calgary).
Panelists are expected to address issues like how to best reduce sectoral emissions related to Canada's existing energy sector, effective technologies to capture and reutilize carbon, and tools to drive behavioural change.
