If you haven’t surfed the University’s Research Services Web site in a while, now is a great time to become reacquainted. A concerted effort by the different divisions within the research department has yielded a new look that brings together familiar elements in a fresh way, and makes it easier for researchers, administrators, and anyone else to find what they need to know about research activities at the University.
The clean, efficient design that characterizes the site is obvious from the first click into www.research.uOttawa.ca.
The page includes immediate and obvious links to key aspects of Research Services, including Technology Transfer and Business Enterprise (TTBE), Research Grants and Ethics Services (RGES), Government Research Investment Programs (GRIP), and Animal Care and Veterinary Service and Ethics (AVSE).
Various research services have been consolidated and grouped in innovative ways. Researchers interested in the regulations and guidelines governing the conduct of their work, for instance, can find all the pertinent documentation on the RGES site. Similarly, the direct link with TTBE’s Web site, which was also recently redesigned, ensures that individuals can find everything related to the commercial development of their work.
Howard Alper, vice-president, research, points out that the site’s new look reflects the reorganization of research administration that was ushered in by the Vision 2010 strategic planning exercise. Two key aspects of Vision 2010 are to make the campus one of Canada’s top five research universities, as well as raising the proportion of graduate students to 20 percent of the overall student population.
“These changes will enhance the University’s overall research capacity,” says Alper, noting that this will enable the institution to compete successfully in attracting the best and the brightest by ensuring that these people have access to all necessary resources.
That aspect is especially important to Nicolas Georganas, who recently became the University’s first associate vice-president, research (external). He regards the site as a first point of entry for outside agencies that could be interested in working collaboratively with researchers on campus, making it imperative that someone unfamiliar with the University can readily and productively navigate the site.
At the same time, Georganas notes that the site also informs researchers on campus about University of Ottawa initiatives and research opportunities available elsewhere in Canada or around the world. By providing this information in a tidy, convenient format, the University is helping to identify what could be an exciting new prospect for some investigators.
“I want them to be able to find out about any and all opportunities that could be available to them, as well as exactly how they can apply to take advantage of those opportunities,” Georganas says.
