Create positive impact through SRC excellence and local and global collaboration
SRC continues to be a top priority at TMU. The academic plan is aligned with the Strategic Research Plan, which articulates how TMU supports and builds SRC excellence, intensity and impact by distinguishing key thematic areas of SRC investment and growth, and highlighting support structures. TMU is deeply committed to fostering SRC excellence, innovation and creativity across all disciplines through increased EDI and protecting academic freedom in SRC.
TMU’s SRC excellence and impact are built upon supporting our established strengths as well as identifying and incubating new bold ideas and nascent areas of SRC activity. This includes attracting top students, faculty, postdoctoral fellows and staff and a sustained focus on building and measuring our SRC profile and reputation.
TMU recognizes that to attract and retain faculty, students and postdoctoral fellows of the highest calibre, we must continue to champion our commitment to fostering excellence in graduate studies, including both researchoriented and professional programs. We seek to ensure that our graduate programs are accessible to equitydeserving groups, and appropriate services and supports are available for all students.
We recognize the transformative power of SRC activities in driving societal change and advancing knowledge. By fostering an environment that encourages curiosity, creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration, we empower our faculty and students to take risks to advance inquiry and generate innovative solutions to complex issues.
Through cutting-edge research projects, groundbreaking discoveries, and impactful creative works, we aim to address critical societal needs and improve the well-being of individuals and communities locally and globally. Through community-engaged research, we bridge academic inquiry with real-world needs, strengthening our strategic and multidisciplinary collaborations, expanding partnerships and promoting greater alignment between the innovation ecosystem and research.
- Grow externally funded SRC revenue.
- Expand research collaborations and partnerships, locally, nationally and internationally.
- Encourage stronger partnerships and connections between graduate students and faculty-driven SRC activities, while strengthening SRC supports and systems, to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of a robust SRC culture and to enrich graduate students’ experience.
- Amplify SRC impact through knowledge translation, dissemination, exchange, mobilization and commercialization.
- Enhance multidisciplinary collaborations, including involving students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels under the mentorship of faculty members.
- Develop a plan for strategic or cluster faculty hiring to grow a critical mass of scholars committed to priority areas.
As an institution gaining international visibility, TMU is wellpositioned to grow its reputation and impact on the world stage. By strengthening global research and strategic partnerships, we continue to expand our resources and reach, while enhancing our ability to compete internationally.
TMU’s innovation ecosystem, including the DMZ — a worldleading incubator for tech startups — is fuelling innovation locally and globally. The ecosystem supports and grow startups that develop products and solutions that positively change lives and businesses in Canada and abroad.
The university is also increasing opportunities for students and faculty to engage globally through study or research abroad. This type of participation enriches our community, cultivates globally minded citizens and connects TMU to the world. TMU is also committed to transnational education that brings our campus to the international stage. By offering TMU academic programming across the world, we enhance our standing and deepen our connections on a global scale.
We understand the importance of engaging with diverse perspectives and experiences from around the world. Through intentional international partnerships, collaborative research initiatives and cross-cultural exchanges, we seek to broaden our understanding of global challenges and develop innovative solutions that transcend borders.
- Partner with reputable foreign institutions that share our values to create joint degrees and facilitate cross-cultural research collaboration and student and faculty exchange programs.
- Build engagement with the world beyond Canada by expanding student mobility and study abroad opportunities across the university, including a systematic approach to faculty-led programs abroad.
- Explore transnational education and satellite campus opportunities to improve access to education, particularly in the Global South but also in other parts of the world.
- Refresh our approach to international rankings to establish a benchmark for how TMU is excelling compared to other institutions globally and to identify areas for improvement.
- Identify clear commitments to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure resources are appropriately allocated to support those objectives.
TMU stands as a vital city builder, actively shaping the landscape of Toronto, Brampton and beyond through its academic, SRC and community engagement initiatives. Anchored at the heart of these dynamic cities, TMU is a trailblazer in innovation. Our commitment to social justice fuels our community of changemakers to address our cities’ most pressing challenges and build a brighter future.
The university is also working to expand its rural partnerships, particularly in light of the School of Medicine and its affiliation agreements with rural communities. TMU strives to ensure our students have access to diverse learning environments, including a mix of urban, suburban and rural communities, particularly in underserved areas.
Forging strong relationships with like-minded partners, such as the City of Brampton — one of the fastest-growing and culturally diverse cities in Canada — allows TMU to address society’s most acute needs so that we can help create a sustainable and prosperous future for our neighbourhoods, communities, cities and regions. Brampton is home to TMU’s Brampton Venture Zone, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and the School of Medicine, which will all create outstanding educational pathways for those who aspire to be part of the region’s exciting evolution.
Through engagement with donors and the development of partnerships with local businesses, industry, government agencies and community and healthcare organizations, TMU plays a pivotal role in enhancing our cities’ cultural vibrancy, economic resilience and social cohesion. By nurturing talent, generating knowledge and championing inclusivity, TMU is a driving force for building more prosperous and equitable cities for all. In these partnerships above all else, we will listen with humility, collaborate and learn with, from and about each other.
- Deepen collaborations with local organizations, businesses and government agencies to address community needs, promote civic engagement and enhance student learning opportunities.
- Expand service-learning, community-based learning and civic engagement.
- Encourage faculty and students to engage in public scholarship and knowledge dissemination activities that contribute to informed public discourse and policy development.
- Focus on scalable and transferable solutions to the challenges of a global population that is increasingly urban as a way to expand our impact internationally.
- In alignment with University Advancement strategies, foster philanthropic partnerships and engagement with donors to fund programs, expand and enhance financial and academic supports and improve infrastructure.
