Seven Key Strategies for Building Applied Research Capacity at your Canadian College
Abstract
Canadian colleges play an increasingly vital role in applied research, supporting regional innovation through partnerships with industry, community, and government. Backed by programs like the Tri-Agency College and Community Innovation (CCI) fund, colleges have expanded beyond their teaching mandates to tackle real-world challenges through practical, solution-focused research. However, many institutions still face barriers due to limited internal resources, inconsistent faculty engagement, and administrative structures designed primarily for education. This paper outlines seven key strategies identified by Canadian college research leaders to build and strengthen applied research capacity: (a) focus on core funding programs, (b) align with federal priorities while exploring other sources, (c) engage local industry and community, (d) integrate research with student programming, (e) collaborate with internal departments, (f) leverage marketing to promote impact, and (g) learn from established institutions and associations. These strategies offer a roadmap for colleges at any stage of research development to enhance sustainability, relevance, and long-term impact.
Metrics
Published
2026-09-03
Keywords
Applied research, Canadian college, Research capacity building, Research integration, College research
Issue
Section
Scholarly Notes and Commentaries
DOI
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mathew Vankoughnett, Lyndon Ashton, Jackie Au, Mona Barzegarganji, Davon Callander, Leanne Carroll, Nicole Detlor, Joanne Firth, Julia Goldsteins, Jesse Hayes, Tanya Henderson, Amy Proulx, Ishan Rastogi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright in the article is vested with the Author under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
