Introducing the Black-led Research Network Initiative

To ignite Black academic brilliance and invest in Black researchers at the University of Alberta: that is the mission of the recently established Black-led Research Network Initiative (BRNI).

Bolstered by financial and strategic assistance from the Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and housed within the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH), the BRNI aims to foster a vibrant community of support across diverse research areas and disciplines through networking and mentorship – a collaborative effort embraced by numerous units at the U of A from science, engineering, medicine and dentistry to the arts, social sciences and education.

“This initiative is a clear testament to the U of A’s institutional commitment to supporting Black-led research, innovation and creative work, and creating a pathway to long-term funding and sustainability of those scholarly activities,” says André McDonald, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research Initiatives and Performance), and a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

"I’m very excited for myself and many members of our college to be a part of this far-reaching initiative,” adds CSSH Dean Marvin Washington. “We look forward to ensuring that Black academics have the tools they need to thrive by listening and learning rather than prescribing. Our college is happy to provide coordinating and administrative support to this initiative."

At the helm of the initiative is a steering committee comprised of scholars celebrated for their research accomplishments. One of the committee’s top priorities is to mentor and advocate for early career researchers, drawing from their own extensive experience in scholarly activities and research administration.

One significant way this is accomplished is by guiding researchers through the entire research process including grant applications, research ethics, project management and the promotion of collaborative, multidisciplinary research initiatives. The BRNI Steering Committee also looks to support knowledge mobilization efforts with respect to ongoing or completed research, with the aim of shining a brighter light on the extraordinary work currently being led by Black researchers at the U of A.

Ongoing interdisciplinary initiatives include the Pan-African Collaboration for Excellence program expansion, the Common Ground initiative, extension of precision health regenerative and space-health medicine research, creation of the Central Regional Hub of the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub – which is a $5M research in entrepreneurship opportunity – and securing more than $800K in targeted external research funding over the last eight months for Black-led research and community engagement.

In addition to research mentorship and guidance, BRNI's impact extends beyond its immediate scope and supports extensive training of young people through the research ecosystem. Mentorship programs include the Black Youth Mentorship Program, designed to provide guidance and research mentorship opportunities to high school Black youth. Another undertaking by the BRNI is the Experiential Learning in Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (ELITE) Program, a program providing paid work-integrated training and research experiences in various sectors to Black youth and Black graduate students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine, business and psychology.

The BRNI also actively fosters global research connections by collaborating with scholars and research initiatives in Africa and Small Island Developing States, all in the pursuit of championing Black research achievement on a worldwide scale. Through this commitment, the BRNI aims to build a research environment that showcases outstanding scholars from historically marginalized backgrounds, nurturing their development and retention within the U of A research community.

An opportunity to connect

On October 13, 2023, the BRNI will hold the first-ever BRNI Visioning Workshop, the purpose of which is to create a unified vision and lay the foundation for structural capacity for Black-led research at the U of A. This workshop will allow Black researchers at the U of A to contribute to the development of an initiative tailored to address their specific needs – a rare chance for direct engagement.

With a goal of highlighting these voices and stewarding connections amongst researchers across campus, this is an event not to be missed! For more information on the workshop and to register, visit this link.