Office of Research Services Land Acknowledgement

Specifically, our senior leaders commit to:

• Participate in and offer staff learning opportunities to create a safe space for Indigenous peoples and better support Indigenous research at Western through cultural safety training and understanding of the social, structural, and historical contexts of current inequities
• Model the way for our research community by challenging the notion that colonization is in the past and actively working with Indigenous scholars, students and staff to address barriers to Indigenous research at Western
• Collaborate with colleagues in the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, external Indigenous organizations and communities, as appropriate, to enhance decolonization and reconciliation efforts
• Support decolonization efforts through allocation of and advocacy of appropriate resources including Indigenous research roles, initiatives and supports
• Promote and support Indigenous research and scholars at Western within the institution and beyond

Specifically, our Grants Management & Services team commits to:

• Raise awareness of funding opportunities that foster and recognize Indigenous research and work with the Indigenous Research Officer to communicate these funding opportunities ensuring reach to our Indigenous and allied faculty as well as collaborating to support application submissions
• Ensure standard text about available Indigenous research supports, including reference to the Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team, is visible and accessible in communications about upcoming funding opportunities and on the Western Research website pages dedicated to external funding opportunities
• Participate in the Indigenous Research Working Group to learn about - and implement – targeted supports for Indigenous faculty to navigate internal Western Research processes 
• Provide clarity on eligible/ineligible expenses as it pertains to Indigenous research
  • Lead a workshop to communicate this guidance with Research Finance colleagues 
• Implement training on decolonization and Indigenous research for the College of Reviewers membership to enhance review quality for internal adjudication of Indigenous research projects 
• Define and identify Indigenous research as a data point in the grants (ROLA) system
• Work with the Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team to identify projects that may require additional consultation and supports to foster Indigenous research in a good way

Specifically, our Institutional Research Programs team commits to:

• Raise awareness of funding and award opportunities that foster and recognize Indigenous research and work with the Indigenous Research Officer to communicate these funding opportunities ensuring reach to our Indigenous and allied faculty as well as collaborating to support application submissions
• Advocate to granting agencies to better support Indigenous research
• Ensure standard text about available Indigenous research supports, including reference to the Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team, is visible and accessible in communications about upcoming funding opportunities and on the Western Research website pages dedicated to external funding opportunities
• Work collaboratively with the Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team on funding opportunities that intersect with Indigenous research and researchers
• Ensure Indigenous and allied researchers are proactively supported throughout the research project lifecycle through tailored resources and supports, for example by connecting researchers with the Knowledge Exchange, Impact, EDID in Research team for support
• Commit to continued change to internal processes to foster an equitable and inclusive research environment
• Provide guidance and resources to researchers to incorporate meaningful decolonization approaches when developing EDID statements, action plans and other strategies, for example by connecting with the Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives
• Respect and support data sovereignty (e.g., OCAP) and inclusive research data management practices with Indigenous communities and researchers and ensure they are in included in research projects where appropriate
• Work collaboratively with the Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team to introduce new research awards for excellence in Indigenous Research
• Foster and support inclusive research partnerships with Indigenous communities, partners, and organizations, and ensure researchers have considered co-development in appropriate and meaningful ways

Specifically, our Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team commits to:

• Build awareness, understanding and capacity among our Western research community for ethical research engagement with Indigenous peoples by offering consultations, dialogue with researchers, presentations, and workshops
• Support our unit and colleagues in increasing their understanding of decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization in relation to research, and beyond
• Develop a definition of Indigenous research that includes data, knowledges, lands and/or resources and embed into our practices, policies, and systems to enhance understanding and awareness across campus
• Work collaboratively with other teams in our unit to ensure Indigenous research is captured within our systems and ethical reviews as well as support institutional data analyses in a culturally sensitive manner giving due consideration to the perspectives and experiences of Indigenous peoples in its collection, analysis, and utilization
• Undertake documentation of challenges, barriers and existing resources encountered by Indigenous scholars across Western’s research ecosystem and design targeted resources to address barriers and challenges identified via an Indigenous Research Working Group that includes cross-campus representation of key unit leads
• Prioritize support for and with Indigenous scholars across campus to ensure the services provided meet their needs and facilitate their research success
• Partner with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and the Indigenous Student Centre on:
  • Research programming for Indigenous students, and opportunities to showcase their research (i.e., Head & Heart Indigenous Research Fellowships)
  • Foster mentorship and belonging for Indigenous scholars including taking a lead role in welcoming new faculty to Western and connecting them to other scholars and resources
  • Advocate and support Indigenous communities to engage in research that aligns with their priorities
• Support the capture of broader research impacts that are more inclusive of Indigenous research
• Develop new internal awards that recognize, profile and promote Indigenous research
• Support the hiring process for additional personnel to provide support for Indigenous research, including a Director, Indigenous Research and an Allied Scholars Research Officer while working collaboratively across the entire Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team to support Indigenous research and decolonized approaches to research

Specifically, our Research Administration & Finance team commits to:

• Ensure an equitable employee recruitment process that actively seeks out Indigenous candidates for all positions by sharing opportunities within internal Western networks and using recommended external job posting services that reach Indigenous peoples
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to review job descriptions and hiring processes from an EDID lens (e.g., anti-bias training for panel members)
• Take cultural protocols for gifts and recognition into consideration
• Create a barrier-free mechanism to provide honoraria when appropriate
• Work collaboratively with Western Human Resources to ensure job descriptions incorporate lived experiences as appropriate
• Include Indigenous and EDI resources on campus as part of general onboarding for new team members
• Be inclusive and take cultural context into consideration when working through time, flexibility, bereavement, and leaves

Specifically, our Research Contracts & Partnership Agreements team commits to:

• Take the responsibility to learn and listen when feedback is provided to work towards decolonization of our processes and supports
• Learn the history of Indigenous peoples and remember the power imbalance that still exists within the post-secondary environment as well as Western’s societal power in negotiations
• Provide guidance to researchers on the need for critical conversations with Indigenous partners (e.g., ownership, responsibility, access etc.) prior to drafting a written agreement, when appropriate
• Ensure Western’s agreements respect Indigenous peoples' Nations and Charter Rights, and their sovereignty over lands, data, resources and intellectual property
• Ensure community agreements remain optional and respect community and Indigenous faculty decisions around the use of agreements to prevent harming existing relationships

Specifically, our Research Ethics & Compliance team commits to:

• Actively engage with available resources (e.g., cultural safety training) along with consultations from Indigenous leaders and groups for staff and board reflections and training
• Commit to seeking representation of Indigenous voices on ethics boards
• Define and identify Indigenous research consistent with other internal teams across ethics platforms and materials
• Work collaboratively with the Knowledge Exchange, Impact and EDID in Research team to identify projects that may require additional consultation and supports to foster Indigenous research in a good way
• Recognize the unique considerations necessary for conducting research in each distinct Indigenous peoples’ context by ensuring that Western’s research ethics boards will work with our Indigenous Research Officer(s) and others with the knowledge and expertise to ensure appropriate sensitivities to cultural and community rights are met when reviewing research projects
• Through continual reviews and environmental scans of other organizations and postsecondary institutions, we commit to continual learning to improve our research ethics review process for Indigenous research
• Advocate internally to decolonize processes and systems to create a more inclusive approach for Indigenous research within the ethics process

Specifically, our Research Institutes Support team commits to:

• Strongly encouraging and providing opportunities in collaboration with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and other expert units on and off campus for research institute members to get some training on Indigenous history, rights, treaties, teachings and practices as well as skills-based training in intercultural competency
• Raise awareness and build capacity by interrogating taken-for-granted assumptions, and engaging in reflection and unlearning towards more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and decolonized research and research training
• Put in place supports that empower researchers/educators to be more empathetic and aware of our responsibility to conduct research ethically and to help reclaim Indigenous partners and participants’ rights in research
• Invite Indigenous partners to join research institutes leaders as they explore ways to meaningfully incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing in Research Institute programs and activities – so they can be valued as equal to academic approaches to knowing and creating knowledge 
• Help to connect research institute researchers, staff, and trainees with volunteer opportunities in the community that support mutual benefit and learning
• Access and create welcoming spaces and events that increase Indigenous perspectives through appropriate representation on committees that support co-identification of grand research challenge topics along with opportunities for authentic engagement throughout the full research processes.