Brock University researchers are invited to attend an upcoming webinar that will discuss equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research proposals.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Research Proposals will take place Friday, Dec. 17 from noon to 1 p.m. via Microsoft Teams.

The information session is part of the Building Better Research professional development workshop series offered jointly by the Brock University Library and the Office of Research Services.

Research Officer Sharlee Cranston-Reimer will outline EDI considerations requested by some competitions and offer best practices and resources for building an equitable, diverse and inclusive research team.

Cranston-Reimer said nearly all Tri-Agency awards include EDI considerations within various components of their grants, and that some competitions have full sections dedicated to it. The Tri-Agencies include the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

“EDI policies in research practices are aiming to ensure that the strongest possible research teams and projects can be built and work together in harmony,” she said. “It leads to the richest research outcomes and ensures that the most wide-ranging perspectives are considered and that everyone involved feels safe and valued.”

Although the EDI requirements of many research proposals are in the early stages, Cranston-Reimer expects they will become more robust over time. She recommends researchers start thinking and learning early about EDI so they can set themselves up for success.

“Researchers who are new to the topic would benefit from reflecting on how to embed EDI considerations into their research and training plans — particularly as EDI is often a requirement within application components, even if it does not always have its own dedicated section,” she said. “Researchers who have more experience with EDI could use this session as an opportunity to reflect more deeply and share what they’ve learned. One way to think about it is as a question of how to build great teams in ways that are good for everyone.”

In addition to a prepared informational presentation, the workshop will offer time for questions and informal discussion.

Brock researchers can access support for developing EDI plans in research proposals through the Office of Research Services or via training and best practices documents compiled by the Tri-Agencies.

Faculty member and student researchers interested in attending the EDI in Research Proposals webinar can register for the session via ExperienceBU.

Those unable to attend the live session can watch a video recording that will be posted on the Research Enterprise SharePoint site shortly after the session.

Upcoming Building Better Research Series workshops

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Research Proposals
Friday, Dec. 17 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Sharlee Cranston-Reimer, Research Officer.

An Introduction to Research Metrics and the Dimensions Database
Tuesday, Jan. 18 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Chelsea Humphries, Liaison Librarian, and Elizabeth Yates, Liaison and Scholarly Communication Librarian.

Introduction to Proposal Writing
Friday, Jan. 21 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Project Facilitator Julie Gregory and Research Officers Vincent Annibale, Sharlee Cranston-Reimer, Karen Espiritu, Danusha Kalinga, Suramya Mihindukulasuriya, Monika Ovsonka and Laura Smithson.

Hands on Introduction to Text Analysis
Wednesday, Jan. 26 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Tim Ribaric, Acting Head of Brock’s Digital Scholarship Lab and the Map, Data and GIS Library.

Community Engagement in Research
Wednesday, Feb. 16 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Julie Gregory, Project Facilitator, and Jayne Morrish, Knowledge Translation Officer.

Harvesting Social Media Data
Wednesday, Feb. 23 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Tim Ribaric, Acting Head of Brock’s Digital Scholarship Lab and the Map, Data and GIS Library.

Establishing and Maintaining Your Research Team
Tuesday, March 1 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Michelle McGinn, Associate Vice-President, Research.

Knowledge Mobilization — The Basics
Wednesday, April 13, noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Jayne Morrish, Knowledge Translation Officer.

All Building Better Research sessions are listed on the Building Better Research web page.

To suggest topics for the series, or for more information, contact Cranston-Reimer at scranstonreimer@brocku.ca or Nicole Nolan, Associate University Librarian, at nnolan@brocku.ca