Driving impact and institutional growth

I am pleased to welcome everyone to the Fall 2026 term. As we begin another academic year, I am delighted to share our third annual report on Research and Innovation, which demonstrates the real-world value of University of Alberta research. Over the past year, major funding wins, scholarly achievements across disciplines and strategic partnerships have enhanced our research leadership and broadened our impacts. Across our global strengths in Energy and Environment, Artificial Intelligence and Health and Well-Being, alongside emerging growth areas in Indigenous Research, Agriculture and Food, Social Transformations, and Defence and Dual-Use Research, the U of A continues to push boundaries and redefine excellence.

As I step into my second term as vice-president (Research), I remain proud of the strong foundations we have established across our community over the past five years. My focus now turns toward the next phase of institutional growth, ensuring our strategy continues to empower researchers to tackle grand global challenges, seize emerging opportunities and lead on the world stage.

I extend my sincere congratulations to the seven scholars named to the Royal Society of Canada earlier this month. As members of Canada’s most distinguished academy, these researchers demonstrate the transformative power of interdisciplinary research in driving positive societal change.

We also celebrate Dr. Charles Chen, who has been named an incoming Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair in Adaptive Genomics for Climate-Resilient Forestry and Agriculture. By bringing premier global researchers to the university, this federal initiative expands our discovery capacity and gives researchers the tools to deliver practical solutions.

The Office of the Vice-President (Research) team continues to refine strategies for major national competitions, including preparing our institutional application for the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). This important funding opportunity will allow us to turn our core strengths into leading capabilities. To support our researchers, we are actively enhancing institutional resources, improving awards recognition and offering emerging AI tools to ensure they receive top-tier services at every stage of the research lifecycle. 

Strategic collaboration remains essential to deepening our impact, as demonstrated by our new long-term research agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories, signed in collaboration with the Office of the Vice-Provost (Indigenous Programming & Research). This initiative directly targets critical priorities, including climate adaptation, public health, artificial intelligence, sustainable agriculture and Arctic sovereignty, while positioning northern communities as central leaders in addressing global change.

Building our leadership in health innovation, new federal funding for the U of A–led PRAIRIE Hub for Pandemic Preparedness brings academic and industry leaders together to counter emerging health threats and accelerate domestic biomanufacturing. These funds will deepen collaboration across research, government and industry networks while strengthening Canada’s health security and defence capacity. 

Our commitment to national defence spans a wide spectrum of research, from supporting the health and well-being of veterans to developing technologies that strengthen Canada's sovereign capabilities.

This commitment is further backed by provincial and federal support for our Dual-Use Ecosystem for Future Engineering, National Defence and Sovereignty (DEFENDS) platform. Built in Alberta for Canada, this platform serves as a collaborative hub for industry and defence partners to develop dual-use technologies, from Arctic security applications and advanced manufacturing to wildfire-detection drones and emissions-reducing coatings for naval fleets. By pairing technological innovation with rigorous research security and institutional oversight, we accelerate commercialization, foster skilled talent and drive innovation while protecting our institutional and national interests.

These foundations, created together throughout my first term, provide a clear, ambitious path ahead. As we launch into this next chapter, our shared commitment to interdisciplinary discovery, collaborative partnerships and research excellence will continue to drive solutions for Alberta, Canada and the world. I am especially grateful to the Office of the Vice-President (Research) team for their hard work, collaboration and dedication to supporting the research community. Throughout this second term, I am excited to work alongside our remarkable community to build on this momentum, expand our reach and continue to move the U of A forward with purpose.

Dr. Aminah Robinson Fayek
Vice-president (Research)