4 Research
In this section
Research starts in your Faculty
General information
At the University of Ottawa, the faculties are responsible for graduate programs. Questions concerning admission, enrolment, academic pathways, thesis supervision and graduation are handled by the academic unit (department, school, institute, faculty, etc.) offering the program.
Each faculty has a Graduate Studies Office (GSO) that supports students and directors of graduate studies. The GSOs and the program directors are complementary sources of information, and we encourage professors to consult them.
The first point of contact for professors as regards to graduate and postdoctoral studies is the graduate studies director of the academic unit. In addition, each unit or program typically has a graduate studies committee, consisting of professors from the unit. It decides on admission to its programs.
Faculty research officers are important persons who can help you with key aspects of research. They are knowledgeable about grants that are available and about other opportunities.
Supervisory rights for full-time professors are set out in the collective agreement (article 32) between the University and the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO). Your supervisory rights are explained by your faculty when you’re hired.
What are best practices for supervisors? What’s your style? Talk to your colleagues, take a page from people who’ve had a positive impact on your career path, and adapt your style to your students’ needs. Some faculties officially assign persons to mentor their new professors, while others do so informally. The Academic Leadership progam offers workshops on supervision from time to time.
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) resources
EDI resources are available and include data on underrepresented groups in research at the University of Ottawa and a list of specialized publications that provide advice on how to strengthen equity, diversity and inclusion in research.
In addition, you can consult an EDI advisor at Research Management Services. There’s also an action plan for EDI in research, an advisory committee on EDI in research and a host of faculty resources on the topic.
Logistical matters to start off on the right foot
Research advisors
The research advisors in your faculty are important resources who can help you with logistical and strategic aspects of research. They’re knowledgeable about available grants and other sources of funding.
Research accounts
A new research account is opened for every internal or external grant. For more information, see the Research Management Services webpage on the subject. The Workday system contains your research accounts and budgets. Contact your departmental or faculty finance manager if you have any questions about research accounts, expenses or hiring.
You have to submit an RE form in order to obtain and manage a research account. The form is an internal document that will be used to notify your Faculty and the OVPRI about your project requirements. You must submit a new RE form to the OVPRI for each grant application and contract. In other words, you require an RE form for each new source of research funding. The signature of your vice-dean, research, means that your Faculty has approved your project. In addition, a research account can be created quickly once funding has been released.
To submit an RE form, log into the eAwards Portal using the same credentials as the ones for accessing your uOttawa email account. This form must be signed by your vice-dean, research, and by Research Management Services. Ask your research advisor for more information.
Laboratory and equipment purchase
Speak with your department or faculty about setting up your lab and purchasing any equipment. You may need the support of the following units when purchasing equipment: Facilities service, Procurement services and the Office of Strategic Development Initiatives.
Research assistants, recruitment, and supervision
Speak with the administrator of your department or faculty about hiring research assistants and technical assistants.
The procedure for recruiting graduate students and postdoctoral staff varies from faculty to faculty. Consult your research director, the graduate studies director or your office of graduate studies for more information.
At the University of Ottawa, follow-up for student records related to supervision or participation in a thesis committee or jury (member or chair) is handled through the service requisition console, which can be accessed via uoCampus.
Reimbursement of expenses
Reimbursement of approved expenses (e.g., moving expenses, conferences) is handled via Workday, which is managed by Financial Resources.
Space and equipment requisitions
Contact your department or Faculty if you need to order equipment or if you have questions access to a workspace.
Student records
At the University of Ottawa, oversight of student records related to supervision or participation in a thesis committee or jury (member or chair) is handled through the service requisition console, which can be accessed via uoCampus. In your Faculty, the Office of Graduate Studies is the point of contact for you and for graduate studies staff with whom you are working.
Setting up your lab or research space
Discuss space details with the director of your department or the departmental committee responsible for space management. If you want to set up heavy or specialized equipment, consider renovations that may be required (they may need to be completed first).
Research support services
Ottawa-Outaouais Research Data Centre (ORDC)
The Ottawa-Outaouais Research Data Centre (a partnership between the University of Ottawa and the Université du Québec en Outaouais, with an affiliate at Carleton University) enables the research community to access secure microdata from Statistics Canada surveys and Canadian censuses. The ORDC is physically accessible on the third floor of the Morisset Library. For more about requesting access, available data and reserving a workstation, see the Ottawa-Outaouais Research Data Centre (ORDC).
Managing research data
Data are a critical component of research, and there are many ways to enhance data management, whether it be a matter of ensuring that the policy requirements of funders, publishers or funding organizations are met or that your data is being kept and preserved properly. Research data management involves data organization and management throughout the research process. The Library provides information, resources, support and specialized training in research data management covering, among other things, why you should manage your data, places where you can publish your data and data management plans. Learn more about the Library and research data management.
Copyright
When you create original content at the University of Ottawa, you will often hold copyright. It is also possible that you may not hold copyright for your own material that you publish, since many publishing houses will ask you to cede copyright as a condition of your publishing contract. For more on how to preserve and enforce your copyright as a creator of original content, see the Library copyright information.
Scholarly communication
Scholarly communication involves the creation, assessment, dissemination and preservation of knowledge related to teaching, research and scholarship. The Library provides information, resources, advice and assistance in the following areas: open access in research, journal publication and selection, open access publishing services, research parameters and financial support for open access publishing. For more, see the Library information on scholarly communication.
The University of Ottawa’s digital storehouse, uO Research, is a space for the collection, preservation and dissemination of research data created by the University of Ottawa community. Consider storing your research there, and find out more about uO Research.
Librarians and specialists
Contact a library research specialist in your field or make an appointment for a consultation to obtain assistance with your research or answers to your questions about databases and relevant resources. To find your librarian, see the Library webpage on research guides and librarians.
Archives and special collections
Our archives and special collections team, located on the promenade level at Morisset Hall, works to preserve and provide access to archival records and special collections that help to support teaching and research at the Ottawa. Our archive collections include the Women’s Archives (a major Library initiative bringing together archival holdings and collections related to the history of women in Canada), the Slavic Archives and the Literary Archives, among others. Besides our archive collections, there are collections of rare books and manuscripts, facsimiles and brochures. The Library team offers a series of virtual introductory workshops, specialized workshops and on-demand tours. Learn more about consulting our collections or requesting reproductions of documents.
Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation (OVPRI)
The University of Ottawa is ranked among the top 10 research universities in Canada. Our research is founded on excellence, relevance and impact, and is conducted in a spirit of equity, diversity and inclusion. The OVPRI sets the strategic direction and oversees the administration of the University of Ottawa’s research enterprise, including funding, equipment and facilities, international collaborations, partnerships and business development. Get to know the OVPRI’s members.
Strategic areas of research
With the Transformation 2030 strategic plan, the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, has set a new direction for research. The result is four strategic areas of research for tackling humanity’s major challenges.
- Creating a sustainable environment
- Advancing just societies
- Shaping the digital world
- Enabling lifelong health and wellness
Cross-cutting themes support the implementation of these strategic areas of research. They are interdisciplinarity, knowledge mobilization, international collaboration, the Francophonie and bilingualism, and Indigenous knowledge.
The OVPRI is committed to promoting and celebrating excellence, equity, diversity and inclusion in research venues and methods at the University of Ottawa.
OVPRI services
The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, supports the University of Ottawa research community with the expertise of numerous services and qualified staff.
Innovation Support Services (ISS)
The Innovation Support Services’ mission is to advance research at the University of Ottawa for societal benefit and impact through student experiential learning and partnerships with industry, government, the community and other stakeholders. It furthers active engagement between those developing new discoveries and those best able to make them available for societal benefit. In addition, the ISS team can provide support in assessing technologies, developing strategies to safeguard intellectual property and commercializing technologies.
ISS is where you go when you want to develop, protect and commercialize research results, such as applying for a patent or exploring market opportunities. It provides assistance in exploring research partnership opportunities with non-academic entities, e.g., industry.
Research Management Services (RMS)
Research Management Services (RMS) provides support to the University of Ottawa research community in obtaining and managing research funds, developing research capacity and evaluating research performance.
Strategic Development Initiatives (SDI)
Strategic Development Initiatives’s main role is to coordinate and administer major research infrastructure projects funded by government programs such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.
International Research and Experiential Learning (IREX)
International Research and Experiential Learning (IREX) helps University of Ottawa researchers address challenges facing the world, in collaboration with leading national and international partners, by serving the research community, ensuring compliance and creating research partnerships of global significance. This unit also manages the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Undergraduate Student Research Awards Program. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) also have funding programs.
Office of Research Ethics and Integrity
The Office of Research Ethics and Integrity provides administrative support to University research ethics boards and works with University researchers to ensure that their research projects adhere to applicable statutes and regulations, including those of the Tri-Council (SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR). For research involving people, you must complete an ethics form and have your proposal approved before recruiting subjects.
We recommend that you submit ethics forms no later than three months before the planned start date of your project.
Animal Care and Veterinary Service
The Animal Care and Veterinary Service provides innovative solutions as required to support pre-clinical research for the University of Ottawa scientific community and its global partners, while ensuring the highest standards of ethics in animal care.
Kanata North campus
The Ottawa region is home to the largest technology park in the country. The University’s Kanata North Campus, inaugurated in 2019, serves as a bridge between us and industry. This partnership provides local companies with access to more of the skills, programs and resources needed to compete and grow.
The multidisciplinary team at the campus works to maximize effectiveness and efficiency of planning and execution of major institutional and research infrastructure projects, and integration of new professors. The team can support professors who would like to develop research niches with members of industry, especially high tech.
Strategic Project Management Group
The Strategic Project Management Group is a multidisciplinary team that works to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the planning and execution of major institutional and research infrastructure projects, and the integration of new professors.
Research funding toolkit
The OVPRI provides a wide range of services and advice to support researchers during the various steps of their grant applications and budget management. It also provides tools for ensuring research compliance. The research advisors in your faculty can advise you on available sources of funding, including external funding.
The University also has a number of internal sources of research funding across a range of sectors. This funding allows researchers to become better known in their areas of interest, and encourages the development of new research sectors.
These pages could also be useful to you:
Research Toolbox (Research and Innovation)
Resources (Research and Innovation)
Research chairs
The University of Ottawa ranks among the best research-intensive universities in Canada and the world. These research chairholders are leaders in their respective fields.
Canada Research Chairs (CRCs)
The University has some 100 CRCs who contribute significantly to the national strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development. They deepen our knowledge and improve the quality of life of Canadians.
Chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone (CCRMF) program
The Collège des chaires sur le monde francophone brings together 10 chairs whose research focuses on a wide range of issues in the Francophone world, such as health care, law, cultural transformations, heritage, immigration and international relations.
University of Ottawa Research Chairs
In alignment with the University’s strategic areas of research, the University Research Chairs (URCs) recognize outstanding and sustained research accomplishments, and foster a culture of excellence, inclusion and diversity. There are more than 45 URCs at the University.
Research centres and institutes
The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and innovation. Our research centres and institutes provide valuable platforms for the exchange of ideas among researchers, both within and across traditional disciplinary boundaries.
A research institute is a multi-faculty and interdisciplinary unit whose main purpose is to foster research excellence through its activities and to support knowledge mobilization activities, while engaging in training activities (e.g., development and implementation of interdisciplinary study programs, professional development programs, internship opportunities, mini-courses, etc.).
The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, regularly calls for expressions of interest from research teams wishing to establish a centre or institute. Check the OVPRI website regularly for news about the latest calls for expression of interest.
Knowledge mobilization
Knowledge mobilization (KMb) means promoting and facilitating the use of research among knowledge users (stakeholders, decision makers, policy-makers, practitioners, community members, patients, etc.) to help them make informed decisions about policies, programs, practices and behaviour. The University offers a wide range of services to support our research community and thereby promote KMb.
KMb descriptions and recommendations are available from the following councils:
Awards and distinctions
Awards and distinctions have become a key component of our strategic plan to promote research excellence and enhance the University’s visibility. We have put into place several initiatives and mechanisms to foster a culture of research excellence, increase recognition opportunities for our researchers and celebrate success.
The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, recognizes researchers for research projects with high impact through two annual internal competitions:
There are also grants for new professors.
Graduate and postdoctoral studies
See our information about graduate and postdoctoral studies> for more about programs, procedures for international students, admission, funding and the student experience.
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