The first round of research funding is now available for the recently launched Sustainable Northern Coastal Communities initiative, a pan-university initiative led by the Harris Centre.

The initiative is aimed at supporting community-engaged and community-led research that leads to positive impacts for community and regional sustainability.

Great Northern Peninsula

As part of this initiative, Grenfell Campus’s Office of Engagement (GO Engagement) and the Harris Centre worked with community and regional partners on the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula to determine key research priorities to address the sustainability of that region.

“The goal is to connect local partners with the expertise and capacity at Memorial,” said Amy Jones, knowledge mobilization co-ordinator with the Harris Centre. “This new applied research fund has been developed to do just that.”

A call for Expressions of Interest from the university community is now open and will close on Nov. 17.

The fund is open to faculty, staff and students at Memorial who would like to work on the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula on projects related to regional governance, fisheries and port industries, tourism or entrepreneurship.

Tackling challenges

Research based on these themes holds a lot of potential for the region, as the declining and aging population is creating challenges for socio-economic development.

“This new fund builds the capacity of the university to really engage with the community throughout the research process,” said Ken Carter, director of GO Engagement.

“This will help them tackle some very difficult challenges by capitalizing on the opportunities and assets of the region.”

An evaluation committee consisting of local residents from the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula and Memorial faculty will choose up to three researchers to join a regional engagement session Dec. 5-6 in St. Anthony.

While there, they will meet with community members to further refine their research plans and meet potential community partners. Once the refined research plans are approved by the evaluation committee, the researchers will receive the funding and move forward on their projects.

Another regional engagement session will take place once the research is complete, to enable researchers and community partners to share the results and discuss next steps.

Interested?

If you are interested in applying for this funding opportunity or would like additional information, please visit the Harris Centre online or contact Amy Jones via email or (709) 864-6115.