Connecting with the Community

• What is community-university research? • Why is this important to me (researcher)? • What works when doing CBR? • How do I connect with the community? • How do I fund CBR?

Agenda

What is community engaged research? • Community situated • Participatory • Action oriented

Goal: Research outcomes that address needs identified by the community

Background

• Community situated - begins with a research topic of practical relevance to the community (as opposed to individual scholars) and is carried out in community settings.

• Participatory - community members and researchers equitably share control of the research agenda through active and reciprocal involvement in the research design, implementation and dissemination.

• Action-oriented - the process and results are useful to community members in making positive social change and to promote social equity.

Background

Knowledge production

Knowledge mobilization

Community mobilization

Why community engaged scholarship? • Supporting the local community

• Academic research that is more reflective of NGO budgetary concerns

• Supporting your program of research • Peer-reviewed quality research using new data

sources and adaptable models • Connecting with Tri-Council principles

• SSHRC is looking for fruitful engagement with its partners in the academic, public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Why?

• Academic Excellence means the strict adherence to a series of research rules that maintain standards of quality

• Community Relevance means the ability of research to take on problems that require a solution

Why us?

Reflective Action (e.g. Lewin): Ongoing cycles of planning, acting, & reflecting to imagine and pursue a new future together that is not pre-determined by past

Social Justice (e.g. Friere): Linking research and education, and conscientization in an emancipatory framework that advocates for equitable access

Legitimizing community expertise (e.g. Indigenous self-determination: People most affected by an issue gain voice and choice that is expressed in their own terms, motivating them to act

Approaches

Community-based Research

• Responsive & open communication • Evaluation committee approach • Simplified, evaluative research • Punctual delivery of outputs & products • Availability for meetings, presentations, etc. • Multiple final products (reports, summaries,

pamphlets, etc.)

What is expected

• Varying levels of engagement

• Distracted points of contact

• Frequent staffing/admin/exec turnover

• Communications challenges

• Apathy from organization (sometimes)

• Top-down support for recruitment

What to expect

• Top-down support for recruitment

• Access to neutral/comfortable research spaces

• Access to internal/private documents & data

• Enthusiasm from organization (Sometimes)

• On-site support for data collection/review, etc.

• Simple research methods: Surveys, Focus Groups, Interviews, and Lit review

• Simple data analysis: Descriptives and correlations (p>.05)

• Subcommittees: Avoid cat wrangling • Paper-trails: Document processes for

repeatability, continuity • Ethics: On your end; bolsters the validity of

the research in the partner’s eyes • Plain language: Summaries should be made

that are digestible by all audiences

What works

How to engage communities • Informal partnership – Leveraging existing relationships with

community leaders. I.E. Best friend’s uncle’s dogwalker’s sister.

• Outreach – Making on-the-ground connections with community groups and leaders through dissemination activities. I.E. Open seminars, community meet-and-greets, newsletter contributions.

• Engaging – Actively joining and/or contributing to community groups. I.E. Joining executive boards, volunteering, participating in meetings.

• Brokering – Making connections with the assistance of a third party. I.E. Knowledge mobilization officer, existing centres (CCRLA, SIRG, MCHL), public tendering systems.

How to connect

• Partnership Development Grant • To foster new research and/or related activities with new or

existing partners; and to design and test new partnership approaches for research and/or related activities.

• $75,000 to $200,000 over one to three years

• Partnership Grant • Support for new or existing formal partnerships for

initiatives that advance research, research training and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities.

• $500,000 to $2.5 million over four to seven years.

SSHRC Partnership Grants

• Partnership Development Grant • November 2014

• Partnership Grant Stage 1: Letter of Intent Up to $20,000 • February 2015 Stage 2: Formal Application (by invitation)

Deadlines

Matching Funds

Partnership Development Grant: • Applicants must have matching

funds (cash and/or in-kind) • No minimum Partnership Grant: • 35% matching funds from

sources other than SSHRC

Adjudication

Partnership Development Grant • Challenge: 50% • Feasibility: 20% • Capability: 30% Partnership Grant • Challenge: 40% • Feasibility: 30% • Capability: 30%

• Supports: • short-term targeted knowledge

mobilization activities (most often conferences and workshops)

• outreach activities such as artistic activities, development of interactive technologies, media events, adaptations, software etc…

• emphasis is on connecting Post-secondary research and the community

SSHRC Connection Grant

• There are four adjudications per year • December, March, June, September

Deadlines

Eligibility

• There are Individual and Institutional versions of the Connection grant

• Researchers should submit the Individual version (even if the event involves a large team)

• The focus should be on mobilizing Canadian research, especially if the event is outside Canada

• Applicant must have a primary affiliation with a Canadian PSE

• Grant funds must be administered by a Canadian PSE • Co-applicants and collaborators do not need to be

Canadian nor affiliated with a PS institution

Value

• Connection grants range from $7,000 to $25,000 for an event and up to $50,000 for an outreach activity

Matching Funds

• Applicants must have 50% matching funds (cash and/or in-kind, excluding registration fees for event)

• For example, if you are requesting $15,000 from SSHRC, you must have $7,500 from elsewhere

• The matching funds cannot be from another SSHRC grant (although you may use SSHRC funds for the event provided there is no duplication of support)

Matching Funds cont…

• Applicants should approach their departments and faculties for financial assistance

• Applicants may have funds from another grant (other than SSHRC)

• Some examples of relevant in-kind contributions include:

• Conference space • Administrative support • Technical support • Communications and Knowledge Mobilization support

Adjudication

• Challenge: 40% • Feasibility: 30% • Capability: 30%