UPEI releases new five-year strategic research plan
The University of Prince Edward Island has released a new strategic research plan titled Strategic Research Plan (2023–2028): Roadmap to Research Excellence.
“UPEI has a strong reputation for impactful research and scholarly work that is addressing global challenges,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, vice-president academic and research at UPEI. “The new plan will build upon the University’s upward momentum and commitment to excellence in research.”
Aligned with UPEI’s overall strategic plan, the research-specific plan identifies five signature areas of research strength at the University: humanity, justice, and organizations; environmental stewardship; healthy communities; healthy animals; and sustainable development. The plan also includes themes that cross multiple fields, such as bioscience, island studies, data science, and One Health, as well as those that may not fall within one of the signature areas.
New emerging priority areas that build on existing research collaborations at UPEI are also included. An example is the new Faculty of Medicine in partnership with Memorial University, which will work with related health programs like veterinary medicine, nursing, psychology, and paramedicine.
During the development of the plan, consultation sessions were held with the campus community and external partners. Three primary objectives arose out of these sessions. The first is to foster and celebrate research excellence, specifically to increase research capacity; promote a climate of research excellence; and raise the profile and visibility of research at the University. The second is to develop talent for impactful research by engaging more undergraduate students in research and strengthening graduate programs and recruitment of graduate students. The third is to strengthen outreach and partnerships by expanding internal collaborations and community partnerships.
In the past two decades, over $300 million has been invested in UPEI research infrastructure. Researchers have authored over 8,000 peer-reviewed publications. Over 530 dissertations or theses by graduate students have been documented in the University’s IslandScholar database.
“The University supports and celebrates these achievements of researchers, both as individual scholars and multi‐disciplinary teams,” said Naterer. “UPEI aims to be one of the most distinguished research universities nationally, when compared with other universities of comparable size, while fulfilling its special obligation to PEI as the only university in the province. I look forward to working with the campus community to enhance our reputation for research excellence.”
