MRU joins Research Impact Canada

Mount Royal University has taken a significant step in advancing its commitment to community-driven research by joining Research Impact Canada (RIC) and signing the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). Both actions reflect MRU’s continued focus on scholarship that supports communities locally and beyond.

Collaboration that amplifies impact

On March 11, MRU was welcomed as a new member of RIC, a national network focused on making research matter not just in academia, but in everyday life. Through knowledge mobilization, RIC supports researchers and community partners to turn academic work into practical tools, public policy and social innovation.

Membership supports MRU’s 2030 Research and Scholarship Plan, particularly its focus on community engagement, research impact and knowledge mobilization.

“Being an active member of Research Impact Canada will support Mount Royal in our goal of becoming recognized for impactful research,” says Dr. Connie Van der Byl, PhD, associate vice-president of research, scholarship and community engagement at MRU. “It will provide a diversity of opportunities to collaborate and partner with other member institutions and organizations that are equally committed to sharing learnings and best practices in community-engaged research and knowledge mobilization.”

As a member, MRU gains access to national expertise and a wide range of collaborators, including other universities, government, nonprofits and industry. Members share tools, training and strategies to help ensure research is useful and accessible to the communities it serves. Faculty and students also benefit from learning opportunities in areas such as impact planning, data visualization and stakeholder engagement.

A commitment to fair research assessment

Alongside joining RIC, Mount Royal has also signed DORA, a global initiative to improve how research and scholarly outputs are evaluated. Launched in 2012, DORA now has signatories from across disciplines around the world, including researchers, institutions, funders and publishers.

By signing, MRU signals its support for more transparent, equitable and meaningful approaches to evaluating research.

“Signing on to DORA demonstrates Mount Royal’s commitment to responsible and comprehensive assessment of research while also supporting the diversity, impact and quality of our research and scholarly activity,” explains Van der Byl.

DORA promotes a shift away from outdated metrics in favour of more holistic assessment practices that recognize a wider range of scholarly contributions. Its goals include increasing equity, raising awareness, developing better policies and catalyzing global change in how research is evaluated.

Looking ahead

Dr. Chad London, PhD, MRU’s provost and vice-president, academic, is looking forward to seeing the opportunities provided through RIC and DORA come to fruition.

“Together, these commitments reinforce MRU’s intention to lead in research that supports our communities and the broader society,” London says. “By joining national and international efforts and aligning with best practices, the University is strengthening its approach to connecting research with real-world change, while raising the profile of the work being done on campus.”

London thanks Van der Byl, the Research and Scholarship Committee and the many research leaders across campus for their work in this achievement and their dedication to excellent scholarship making a major impact across all fields and in our communities.

Find guidelines on navigating DORA through the Library's resources.