Exeter-UBCO Sustainability and Resilience Partnership

Aerial shot of UBC's Okanagan campus at sunrise.

UBC Okanagan is partnering with the University of Exeter to encourage and expand academic research, education and exchange between the two world-class institutions. The new Exeter-UBCO Sustainability and Resilience Partnership is a three-year strategic pilot that expands on formal agreements and joint funding mechanisms between the two universities dating back to 2017.

Both UBC Okanagan and Exeter are home to world-leading academics taking interdisciplinary approaches to tackling the major challenges of our age. This pilot aims to generate exceptional research and teaching and connect our talented researchers, educators and higher education professionals in efforts to solve problems unique to each school’s regional contexts.

The approach recognizes the excellent foundations and existing linkages shared between Exeter and UBC Okanagan faculty, and strategically funds and supports collaborative interdisciplinary research, education and exchange between the two universities through three shared thematic areas of focus:

Students, staff and faculty walking on the UBC Okanagan campus.

 

  1. Adaptation to climate and ecological change: Bringing together expertise and policymakers to explore solutions to the climate crisis and build resilience in our communities.
  2. Innovative health initiatives: Encouraging interdisciplinary approaches that impact positively on human health and performance, focusing on the needs of our regional communities.
  3. Enhancing social justice: Combining the unique perspectives of UBCO and Exeter faculty and staff to lead progress toward creating a fairer, socially just and inclusive society.

 

Under the pilot, funding for research, education and exchange is available through six internal funding opportunities funded jointly by Exeter and UBC Okanagan, and run collaboratively by UBC Okanagan’s Office of the VPRI, the Office of the Provost and the College of Graduate Studies.

Note: Successful funding applications require a joint proposal from individuals at UBC and Exeter. Networking events are being arranged to help introduce and connect the UBCO and Exeter research communities. Please register here to express your interest in one of these events.

Funding Opportunities

Currently, four funding opportunities are available, with all six opportunities expected to be available by spring 2025.

Catalyst Grants are intended to support larger scale initiatives with the aim of securing external funding and/or producing high-level outputs and impact. It is anticipated that academic faculty and staff at both universities with excellent, and complementary, expertise and capability will have already established a working relationship and track record that can be demonstrated as part of the application. Two Catalyst Grants are available each year.

Key dates:

  • Launch: November 4, 2024
  • Application deadline: December 16, 2024
  • Award notice: February 3, 2025
  • Project end: July 31, 2025
  • Final report: September 2, 2025

Apply:

Faculty Exchange Grants aim to develop and expand relationships between Exeter and UBCO to support both research and education initiatives, and to enable grant holders to develop projects for Initiator Grant funding, Catalyst funding and/or competitive, larger scale external grant applications. Two Faculty Exchange Grants are available each year, one to a member of UBCO and one to a member of Exeter.

Key dates:

  • Launch: November 4, 2024
  • Application deadline: December 16, 2024
  • Award notice: February 3, 2025
  • Project end: July 31, 2026 (at the latest)
  • Final report: Due one month after project completion

Apply:

*Expected to launch spring 2025

Initiator Grants support pilot projects to establish or broaden collaboration and increase the impact of research or education activities domestically and internationally. Eight Initiator Grants worth $7,000 are available each year.

Key dates:

  • Launch: November 4, 2024
  • Application deadline: December 16, 2024
  • Award notice: February 3, 2025
  • Project end: July 31, 2025
  • Final report: September 2, 2025

Apply:

The Professional Staff Exchange program will provide professional development opportunities that help share best practice and experience between colleagues at the University of British Columbia and the University of Exeter. The program supports one UBCO staff member per year to spend a short period at Exeter, and one Exeter staff member per year to spend a short period at UBCO. A short period is considered 2 weeks or less.

Key dates:

  • Launch: November 4, 2024
  • Application deadline: December 16, 2024
  • Award notice: February 3, 2025
  • Project end: July 31, 2026 (at the latest)
  • Final report: Due one month after project completion

Apply:

*Expected to launch spring 2025