On April 11, Amy Ratelle (JHI Research Officer) was joined by Stephanie Fisher (Social Sciences Partnered Research Officer at the Faculty of Arts & Science) for “Taking It to the Next Level: Partnership Pathways for the Humanities & Social Sciences,” a workshop for tri-campus faculty members thinking about pursuing, formalizing or seeking funding for partnered research projects.
The workshop featured a roundtable with Claire Battershill (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Information and Department of English UTSG), Kevin O’Neill (Professor in the Department for the Study of Religion and Director of the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies) and Thy Phu (Distinguished Professor of Race, Diaspora and Visual Justice at the Department of Arts, Culture, and Media UTSC), who shared their experiences conducting and funding partnered research and – in hindsight – what they wish they had known when planning the first stages of this research.
Key takeaways from the workshop included:
- Starting a conversation early on with partners to clarify mutual goals and organizational priorities and to ensure you are on the same page before formalizing the partnership
- Being realistic about the time commitments you and your partner organization can devote to the project administration
- Strategic planning and documentation to prepare for potential staff or leadership changes at the partner organization
- Setting long-term goals, outcomes and infrastructure for project longevity
The video replay of this frank and wide-ranging conversation is available to watch (UTOR ID required).