CALGARY – Bow Valley College is excited to announce its partnership with Research Canada: An Alliance for Health Discovery, a federal government initiative that supports and champions the advancement of health research and innovation in Canada.

Research Canada is a national, multi-stakeholder alliance of private, academic, and voluntary sector organizations dedicated to advancing health research and innovation through collaborative advocacy, and in turn, it helps promote health and prosperity of all Canadians.

Bow Valley College is the newest member of the alliance’s college and institute sector, and joins over 70 partners from private and public, research, education, health and manufacturing. Bow Valley College supports nearly 16,000 students in eight campus locations across Southern Alberta. It also has devoted a solid foundation of applied research and innovation for the past decade, studying a variety of relevant social, educational and health-related topics.

"We are thrilled to welcome Bow Valley College as a new Member,” says Deborah Gordon-El-Bihbety, President and CEO of Research Canada in Ottawa. “Colleges like Bow Valley are at the crossroads of higher education and the real world, where Canadians need to apply a mix of technical knowledge, business acumen, and creativity to add value to firms and systems, like the healthcare system, whose imperative it is to innovate." 

Nora MacLachlan, Dean of Health and Community Studies states Bow Valley College holds the key to some very innovative and comprehensive resources that will engage the community and explore facets of health yet to be revealed. One of the most important aspects of the membership is a key mandate that promotes student inclusion in each project.

“In support of our college’s strategic direction to make all learning count, work-integrated learning has always been an important dimension of our education experience. We view Research Canada as a perfect vehicle to help facilitate that goal. Students will now work side-by-side with our researchers, helping to create societal solutions before they head into their career.”

Dr. Russ Wilde, Dean of Research and Innovation at Bow Valley College, notes that Bow Valley College has been building its applied research capacity for over a decade, with increasingly sophisticated work supported by federal granting agencies, employers, and other stakeholders including such projects as:

• Hearts and Minds—Co-Creating a Culturally Meaningful Early Childhood Education
  and Development Curriculum Model
• Social Innovation on the Ground—Accessible and Evidence-Based Tools for Social Innovators
• Understanding Licensed Practical Nurses’ Full Scope of Practice 
• Enhancing Wellbeing and Civic Engagement of Immigrant Women Retirees

Although it does not provide direct funding for projects, Research Canada engages all sectors, including government, to build support and advocate for the needs of the entire health research and innovation system in Canada. Adding schools like Bow Valley College helps to expand its reach and influence.

For more information on Research Canada, visit rc-rc.ca. Details of Bow Valley College Research & Innovation can be found at www.bowvalleycollege.ca

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About Bow Valley College
Bow Valley College - Calgary and region's only Comprehensive Community College - with more than 15,000 full- and part-time students, is a leader in business and health career training, community studies, creative technologies, adult upgrading, and English Language Learning.