June 17, 2026
Creating and scaling up a framework for inclusive research excellence
The University of Ģý has been awarded a grant to advance inclusivity in the Canadian research ecosystem. The grant, awarded by the Government of Canada, provides $100,000 for the project, “Building Architecture of Inclusive Research Excellence (BAIRE): Leadership, Governance, Responsible Assessment, and Impact in the Canadian Research Ecosystem.”
For project co-lead , PhD, this grant is an opportunity to share UĢý’s proven practices for inclusive research excellence and determine how they can be scaled up to drive meaningful change at other Canadian institutions.
“The University of Ģý has been on a journey of inclusive research excellence for many years,” says Smith, associate vice-president (research). “We are committed to having an inclusive research ecosystem where we identify all talent, and we support everyone to succeed, which is why our institution is, in turn, so successful.”
What is inclusive research excellence?
Inclusion is an embedded value at most Canadian post-secondary institutions, but inclusive research excellence is a more specialized concept.
Inclusive research excellence specifies how research quality and impact are defined and assessed. It seeks to integrate inclusive excellence in research teams, design, practice, administration and research impact. It is inclusive of responsible research assessment, knowledge pluralism, Indigenous research governance and context-sensitive evaluation in the research ecosystem.
When understanding inclusive research excellence in practice, it may be easier to look at it from the perspective of what’s missing if an institution DZ’t have a framework in place.
“For example, at an institution that primarily values scholarly output based on how many publications a faculty member has, and disregards non-traditional outputs, such as mobilizing knowledge though policy briefs, public databases, white papers, and tool kits, or commercializing a technology, a faculty member could be making a tremendous impact and never be recognized for it,” Smith explains.
“In that example, inclusive research excellence ensures institutions have a holistic and fair approach to research assessment so that both traditional and non-traditional impact can be measured, recognized, and rewarded.”
Bridging the differences between Canadian post-secondary institutions
BAIRE (pronounced “bear”) is a partnership with the and the . Smith and her collaborators will develop an inclusive research excellence framework, and pilot it at each institution to ensure that it meets the unique needs of colleges, technical schools, and bilingual institutions, as well as research-intensive universities like UĢý and uOttawa.
“We address one of the concerns nationally that the research-intensive universities aren't working closely enough with colleges and institutes,” Smith says. “We are trying to bridge our differences in a way that is structurally inclusive and generate output that is useful across diverse institutions.”
The research team has five objectives: To define inclusive research excellence; to translate their definition into usable definitions and criteria; to operationalize inclusive research excellence as a governance-embedded framework; to validate the framework; and to mobilize resources to support the adoption of their work across the Canadian research ecosystem.
Bringing many kinds of knowledge together in pursuit of excellence
The theoretical approach that underpins BAIRE is epistemic pluralism, which accepts different knowledge systems, and ways of knowing and being, as valid and valuable to scholarship.
“At the University of Ģý, we are uniquely situated to bring many kinds of knowledges together to think about how we live, work and study well together,” says Smith, citing ii' taa'poh'to'p, UĢý’s Indigenous Strategy; the forthcoming Indigenous Research Implementation Plan; and UĢý’s two , Drs. Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Catherine Odora Hoppers, both PhD, as examples of the institution’s capacity.
“In this project, we aim to meaningfully engage the three partner institutions’ Indigenous leads and commitment to Indigenous governance, Indigenous knowledges, and Indigenous ways of knowing,” says Smith.
Shining a light on administrators making a difference
Smith is also looking forward to the opportunity to make visible the work of university staff and administrators who are critical to institutional excellence.
“I'm excited that this project will help people see that achievement requires an all-hands-on-deck approach on a daily basis,” she says. “The success that you see among individual researchers and research teams, all of that is enabled by the steady hands of these teams working with one shared commitment to uplift and support every researcher to do the best that they can.”
Adds , UĢý’s vice-president (research): “I’m delighted that the Government of Canada has created the opportunity for this project through Dimensions Canada. The planned work has tremendous potential to advance inclusive research at our university with a deliberate commitment to excellence.
“Research support teams on the front line, impact teams, responsible research assessment teams – we are where we are precisely because of these teams who are doing this work at high levels of excellence and impact,” says Smith.
To learn more about inclusive research excellence at UĢý, visit the web page.
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