Strategy 9: Knowledge Exchange

Improve the ecosystem that supports the translation of research into action

Many researchers are keen to find pathways for innovation. They want to engage with users of research and wider communities to exchange ideas, knowledge and evidence for societal impact. UBC is enhancing existing pathways, including those that facilitate entrepreneurship and commercialization. To our current innovation ecosystem we have added sector specialists in disciplines such as life sciences to help form collaborations with organizations and individuals beyond the academy that enable the translation of knowledge into policies and practices. We are building expertise in knowledge exchange to help researchers across disciplines find and establish connections with community, corporate and international partners. Collaboration with organizations that help play a translational role, such as the Centre for Drug Research and Development, co-located in Vancouver with the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, are integral to our efforts. And we are developing better support functions and connections across these multiple pathways. We are also continuing to experiment with ways of communicating knowledge so that it is more accessible to a range of communities, from citizens to decision-makers.