TRU, UBCO, UNBC form tri-university partnership to collaborate on research

B.C.’s three Interior universities are joining forces to enhance academic research opportunities, a move the coalition is calling a “game changer” for higher education.

Thompson Rivers University, the University of Northern British Columbia and UBC Okanagan have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a tri-university partnership that will enable greater overall coordination among the institutions.

The Interior University Research Coalition, two years in the making, was announced today at TRU.

“I think in 10 years when we look back at this partnership, we are going to say, ‘This is how it always should have been,'" said Phil Barker, associate vice-president of research at UBC.

"This is how natural it is and what a great fit it is. I think this partnership is something that was meant to happen and is really very, very exciting for the region.”

Barker said the coalition essentially closely connects the talent and skills of researchers at each of the universities so they can have a larger impact locally, regionally and provincially. That includes the work done on each campus and the coalition’s outreach within the region.

It will enhance student access to equipment and mentorship across institutions and create opportunities for faculty members to co-supervise graduate students across the different campuses.

Each of the universities has substantial resources, Barker said, and with this partnership they will have the opportunity to leverage those resources in new ways.

Will Garrett-Petts, associate vice-president of research at TRU, said the coalition represents a major “transformative moment” for post-secondary education because of its intentional effort to coordinate the work of the universities.

The tri-university partnership office will be headed by Janice Larson to guide the IURC, explore new possibilities for talent development, facilitate research collaboration and coordinate joint funding proposals.

Larson is based at UBC Okanagan but will travel between all three universities. She has 22 years of experience in public policy development and implementation.

“We really want the researchers, the faculty and the students to think of the area covered by the three campuses as their very own living lab,” she said.

“We've got a big beautiful, diverse rich area to call our backyard and we want it to make it feel like a big place where all of us are learning and working together.”

Larson said some of the core areas the universities will collaborate on right out of the gate will include environmental sciences, natural resources and ecosystem reclamation. The coalition will begin work on a federal funding proposal for an initiative related to those studies in January.

Other areas that will provide rich opportunity for collaboration between the three universities include community and rural health and Aboriginal and Indigenous culture and community development.

Within the first year, the coalition hopes to have submitted two or three major collaboratively developed funding proposals around those research themes.

Larson said a major component of her job will be monitoring all new research activity that is underway, having a comprehensive understanding of what the research capabilities at each campus are and what its relationships it has within community.

“And then, to start acting like a little kid on Christmas with a brand new box of lego; You start putting the pieces together and finding great shapes to build into something more,” Larson said.