SSHRC Partnership Award worth $50,000 awarded to iPinch Director. Professor Catherine Bell iPinCH co-investigator.

George Nicholas, archaeology professor at Simon Fraser University

The SSHRC's first Partnership Award worth $50,000 has been awarded to Dr. George Nicholas, Simon Fraser University, for his work as Director of the Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage (IPinCH) research project, a knowledge mobilization network established in 2008. University of Alberta Faculty of Law Professor Catherine Bell, is co-investigator and one of six steering committee members running the Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage (IPinCH) research project.

Nicholas with colleagues, has promoted a model of collaborative research that empowers and protects Indigenous communities, while also enriching scholarly inquiry. This international collective of archaeologists, indigenous organizations, lawyers, anthropologists, ethicists and policy-makers is recognized as the leading source of research, knowledge and resources to facilitate fair and equitable exchanges relating to heritage objects, ancestral sites and artifacts and cultural knowledge. Nicholas's work has led to the creation of 15 successful partnerships with indigenous communities across Canada and around the world.

The IPinCH team will be using the award funds towards their wind-up conferences, one of which will be on ethical research in Indigenous communities next year in which Professor Bell will play a leading role. The IPinCH MCRI has funded numerous research collaborations and opportunities for undergraduate and graduates students internationally including at the Faculty of Law, since its inception in 2008.

Catherine Bell, law professor at U of A Faculty of Law

It is an incredible honour to have our work recognized," said Professor Catherine Bell. "We have learned a great deal from research relationships we have developed with Indigenous peoples, academics and institutional partners around the world and look forward to sharing our successes and challenges in our final year as well as developing strategies to maintain relationships and ensure ongoing work in this area. It is only through opening ourselves to different ways of knowing, doing and legal orders concerning intellectual property issues in Indigenous heritage that we can achieve true equality and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples on these fundamental questions."

"The outstanding achievements of these researchers, students and research partners illustrate how the social sciences and humanities help create a better world through improved understanding of people in the past and present," said Dr. Chad Gaffield, president of SSHRC. "I am very proud that the excellence of their scholarly work, as well as their exceptional leadership in sharing their knowledge and collaborating with others both on campus and beyond are being recognized today. I would also like to congratulate all the finalists and to thank the many Canadian institutions who nominated stellar candidates for these inaugural awards."

The winners were selected by a jury from among a highly competitive list of candidates submitted by Canadian postsecondary institutions. The Impact Awards were presented at the World Social Science Forum in Montreal on October 16, 2013.