Often the rules of research are set by institutions, associations or other bodies, typically followed through by academic researchers seeking community collaboration with pre-formatted research plans.<\/p>\n
But an upcoming two-day virtual workshop is aiming to turn all of that on its head.<\/p>\n
Co-sponsored by Brock University, McGill University and others, the Community-led Research Governance: Envisioning the Future Through Dialogue workshop will highlight how communities are taking an active, empowered role in overseeing the research process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re interested in what we call \u2018community governance\u2019 of research, which is fundamentally different from the more common notion of \u2018community engagement\u2019 within research,\u201d says Scott Neufeld, Community Psychology lecturer in Brock\u2019s Department of Psychology and one of the workshop\u2019s panel speakers and co-organizers.<\/p>\n
Held Thursday, April 7 and Friday, April 8, the free online workshop will feature \u201cinnovative and radical strategies\u201d that communities have developed to govern research, says Neufeld.<\/p>\n
Two panels will take place Thursday, April 7:<\/p>\n
On Friday, April 8, a virtual discussion will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on Community Involvement in Research Governance in Canada.<\/p>\n
Neufeld says the two-day workshop is particularly relevant for students and faculty interested in community-based research, communities and individuals who may collaborate with university researchers, and members of the institutional research ethics community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to give a sense of what is possible when communities take control of the research and ethics review process and how empowering community research governance makes for more respectful relations and ultimately better research,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n