Projects

We work on various projects and support organizations to improve research and research effectiveness. Read more about our projects below.

Characterizing Transdisciplinary Research Quality for Effective Design, Implementation, and Assessment

Research is often evaluated on the basis of publications, citations, and peer assessment. In the absence of a comprehensive guide, many evaluating bodies rely on conventional discipline-specific measures of quality which may disadvantage transdisciplinary and applied research. As such, assessments of research effectiveness may not adequately capture important research outcomes and contributions to change. This project seeks to understand the components of transdisciplinary research quality for robust and representative assessments.

Case Study Analyses of Royal Roads Student Research

Royal Roads has an explicit mission to contribute to transformation in the careers and lives of its students and alumni. The university encourages students to do applied research that solves problems. To inform practice, it is necessary to know more about  how Royal Roads graduate research contributes to change. This project seeks to improve our theoretical and empirical understanding of how research contributes to change processes, and inform how to design and implement research to be more effective in higher education contexts.

Review of International Research for Development Indicators

International research for development aims to generate useful knowledge to address complex social problems. Such contributions are difficult and expensive to measure directly. Many evaluating bodies – including funders –rely on traditional indicators that are inadequate to capture the diverse societal contributions of research for development. Therefore, we need appropriate indicators and indicator systems that effectively aggregate useful data to track progress and promote good practice. These activities are the focus of our Review of International Research for Development Indicators.  

Increasing Effectiveness in Sustainability Research: Comparative Analysis

As transdisciplinary approaches are developing and because they engage in complex systems, it has been difficult to know what works, how, and why. This project aims to learn lessons about what makes research effective to inform and improve future research through a comparative analysis of our case studies, with a particular focus on research project design, implementation, and outcomes.

Case Study Analyses of Completed International Research-for-Development Projects and Programs

Scientific research aims to generate new knowledge. Research projects and programs also strive for excellence by means of impact. New transdisciplinary approaches are emerging that place research around the knowledge needs and interests of stakeholders. In doing so, they aim to co-produce more relevant and applicable knowledge. However, as these approaches develop and engage in complex systems, it has been difficult to know what works, how, and why.

Social theory

Sustainability science emerged from the need to produce more useful scientific knowledge to influence policy and practice change. This project aims to strengthen the theoretical foundations for effective research practice.