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Who We Are
Community-University
Connections is a community-based research initiative that explores
the use of science in environmental and social policy, and facilitates
collaborative research and information exchange between community organisations
and university-based researchers.
Our initiative is based
on the premise that, to protect biological and cultural diversity and
to safeguard environmental and human health, scientific research ought
to be ecosystem-based, precautionary in nature, inclusive of local
and traditional knowledge and expertise, and respectful of local customs
and protocols for research. Collaborative, participatory research
is an important approach to better environmental and ecological decision-making
because it can change the way the science that underlies decisions is
done--for example, by recognising the complexity, vulnerability and
uncertainty of ecological systems and by acknowledging the value of
local and traditional ecological knowledge in addressing complex environmental
issues.
Community-University Connections
is a developing institutional model for empowering community-based
decision-making in stewardship of natural resources and promotion
of human and environmental health. We believe that working together
will help to define practices and standards for "smart" environmental
science and policies.
Community-University Connections
is based at the University of Victoria. We are part of the POLIS
Project on Ecological Governance sponsored by the Eco-Research Chair
of Environmental Law and Policy. Our work receives financial and other
support from the MCRI Coasts
Under Stress Project and the Clayoquot
Alliance for Research, Education and Training.
What We Do
Community-University Connections
aims to facilitate shared learning and collaborative research between
communities and universities by:
- Establishing a process
for community-university partnerships
We are adapting the ideas of the European 'science shops' to the priorities
and practicalities of BC communities and universities. For background
information on the original science shops and community-based research
click here.
- Linking community
organisations and university researchers
We are building a network of community and First Nations organisations
and university researchers throughout BC who are involved or interested
in collaborative research on environmental and human health issues.
This network will create closer links among and between communities
and universities to encourage information exchange and research partnerships,
better address local issues in human and environmental health, build
community capacity for informed decision-making, support the role
of local knowledge in the research process, and raise awareness of
ethical issues in research methods and policy.
Identifying ethical
issues and best practices in
community-university collaborative research.
We are undertaking an overview and analysis of existing collaborative
and community-based research models and case studies, and examining
barriers and bridges to mutually-beneficial community-university partnerships.
Our initial focus is on policy aspects (such as local protocols, research
agreements, ethics review systems, informed consent and data ownership/sharing
policies) with emphasis on issues relating to First Nations communities.
Facilitating
workshops on community-based
research methods and ethics
Workshops address practical, theoretical and ethical aspects of conducting
community-based research. Participation is aimed at First Nations
communities, non-profit organisations, university faculty and students,
and policy-makers.
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The
POLIS Project of the Eco-Research Chair
Community-University
Connections is one of several innovative initiatives
of the POLIS
Project on Ecological Governance, sponsored
by the Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law
and Policy at the University
of Victoria. The Eco-Research Chair was founded
in 1995 to provide a trans-disciplinary forum
for education and research focused on developing
sustainable alternatives in a range of areas related
to environmental law and policy.
The POLIS Project cultivates ecological governance
through innovative research and policy development.
The challenge of POLIS is to create a new set
of solutions for our political, economic, environmental
and social institutions. With a unique combination
of academic credibility and activist spirit, the
project aims to dismantle the notion of the environment
as merely another sector, and bring it into the
mainstream where it belongs, as a core value in
all aspects of our society.
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Clayoquot
Alliance for Research, Education and Training
The Clayoquot
Alliance for Research, Education and Training
is a
partnership of the University of Victoria through
the School of Public
Adminstration, and the communities of the Clayoquot
Sound region
through the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust. The goal
of this partnership is
to forge innovative links between the university
and the
Clayoquot Sound communities, to provide a forum
in which community interests and needs become
academic concerns, and to make the educational
and training resources of the University more
accessible to First Nations and non-First Nations
communities in the Clayoquot Sound region.
Funding (April 2001 - 2004) is provided by
the Social Sciences
and
Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
under the
Community-University Research Alliance (CURA)
initiative.
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