EDMONTON – NorQuest College is pleased to announce it has been awarded a share of $4.8 million in grant funding through the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Institutional Capacity-Building Grant, administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
The grant will fund the Building Equity, Diversity, and Inclusions in NorQuest College research initiative, which aims to build on NorQuest’s existing strength in the space to boost the college’s recommitment to EDI and anti-racist principles.
NorQuest is one of twelve post-secondary institutions across Canada that will receive a two-year grant to help identify and overcome systemic barriers that impede the career advancement, recruitment, and retention of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups.
“When we address the challenges of the marginalized, we advance justice for all,” says Norma Schneider, Vice President, Academic at NorQuest College. “The Building Equity, Diversity, and Inclusions in NorQuest College research initiative will examine the underlying structural, formal, informal, and personal barriers to full engagement in NorQuest’s research enterprise and aligns with our commitment to EDI and anti-racism.”
NorQuest will employ a three-pronged approach to improve EDI at the college, focusing on research, professional development, and talent management.
“We recognize that access to and support for research at NorQuest is currently inequitable,” says Erika Goble, Associate Dean of Research at NorQuest College. “This grant will help us better understand and address the underlying structural, workplace culture, and social issues at play, so that any faculty or staff interested in pursuing research is able to do so and feels supported.”
The grant is an example of the Government of Canada’s commitment to tackling challenges encountered by underrepresented and disadvantaged groups in Canadian research institutions and their impacts on the whole of the research ecosystem. The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Institutional Capacity-Building Grant was launched as a pilot program in 2019 to support institutions as they adapt and implement organizational and systemic change informed by evidence and meaningful engagement with affected groups.
This pilot funding program is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). NSERC is administering it on behalf of the three federal research granting agencies.
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Mike Reeves
External Media Consultant
Phone: 780.288.3651
Email: Mike.Reeves@NorQuest.ca