Division of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) - Staffing Update

MEMORANDUM

TO:         Research Advisory Board

Principals, Deans, Academic Directors and Chairs

Chief Administrative and Chief Financial Officers

Divisional Research Facilitators and Business Officers

FROM:  R. Paul Young, Vice-President Research & Innovation

DATE:    6 February 2012

RE:          Division of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) - Staffing Update

This is to provide you with an update on some changes in key positions within the VPRI that have occurred over the past few months.  A full listing of VPRI staff is available here on the Research & Innovation website.

We are moving forward with essentially the same structure that I established soon after taking up the role of Vice-President, Research.  My own office, the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation (OVPRI) exists to enhance the U of T’s impact in research and innovation through enabling new strategic initiatives that promote fundamental scholarship, discovery and multidisciplinary cultural, social and technological innovation.  The office comprises:

·         Two small units:  Strategic Initiatives focused on Awards & Honours and institutional research advocacy initiatives, and Research Communications to help promote the University research and innovation successes

·         Prof. Peter Lewis, Associate Vice-President, Global Research Partnerships who cultivates strategic research alliances with private sector entities and peer institutions internationally

·         Prof. Lorraine Ferris as Special Advisor, Research Ethics and Integrity – a natural complement to her academic endeavors and her role as Associate Vice-Provost, Health Sciences Policy and Strategy

·         Ms. Judith Chadwick, Assistant Vice-President, Research Services and Portfolio Operations working closely with me on matters pertaining to our provincial and national research environment and, in addition, overseeing portfolio budget and operations

The VPRI portfolio carries out the bulk of its operational responsibilities through three “pillar” offices, each led by an Executive Director.  Each office has a specific service mission within the University, as outlined below.  The Executive Directors, together with the Associate and Assistant Vice-Presidents and the Special Advisor, constitute my executive team and strategize, in consultation with their teams and with you, on advancing the University’s research mission.

The mission of the Research Services Office (RSO) is to facilitate faculty success in a broad range of regular, high volume domestic and international research funding programs; coordinate of the University's participation in major, institutional strategic research competitions; collect & analyze institutional research performance data; and develop tools to assist the U of T research community in their research administration activities. Ms. MayLiza Baak has recently taken up the role of Executive Director, RSO after 25 years at U of T, the last 14 of which have been in positions of increasing responsibility within VPRI.  Judith Chadwick, Assistant Vice-President, retains strategic oversight of RSO.

The Innovations and Partnerships Office (IPO) is focused on building successful partnerships between industry and the U of T research community and managing U of T’s portfolio of intellectual property, turning ideas and innovations into products, services, companies and jobs. The Executive Director, Dr. Derek Newton, joined the University in June 2012.  Derek came to us with extensive experience in research and research advocacy from Western University and, prior to that, the Ontario Genomics Institute.  Peter Lewis and I work closely with Derek on cultivating productive relationships with industry partners, locally nationally and internationally and on commercialization initiatives with MaRS Innovation (MI).

The Research Oversight and Compliance Office (ROCO) was established to ensure financial and ethical compliance with the highest standard sponsor terms and University policies through training and outreach to build awareness, re-engineering processes to reduce exposures, reviewing and validating transactions and building an integrated foundation in risk management for the University’s research community.  William Ballios joined the University in September 2012 having previously worked in senior positions at Nortel and the Ontario Centres of Excellence.  Professor Lorraine Ferris provides ROCO with academic leadership on matters of research ethics and integrity.

We encourage you to visit the Research and Innovation website for further information about the portfolio and to be in touch with members of our team.