Research has the potential to identify information, create knowledge and contribute to timely solutions and policy options that can fundamentally address key societal issues and challenges. As funding opportunities for community services and programs shift from mission-based to results-based methods, research alliances between universities and communities become invaluable resources of intellectual and social energy. Such alliances also increase the likelihood that academic research better serves community development and prosperity.  The Identifying Rural Research Priorities through Community Engagement (RRP) project is working to strengthen these alliances in Southwestern Ontario.

During the fall of 2009 a total of eight community consultation workshops will be held using the “Discovery Workshop” method developed by The Monieson Centre at Queen’s School of Business in eastern Ontario. The eight host communities in southern Ontario included: Mitchell & Chatham (September 21), Hanover & Elora (October 26), Orillia & Alliston (November 2), and Simcoe & Dunville (November 16). These host communities have been selected as they coincide with the Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) located west of Highway 400 and encompass the southern part of the province. Further, these eight communities center on different and unique rural areas and economies within southern Ontario. The input gathered from the eight community workshop should provide a wide breadth and variety of data for analysis and syntheses within the scope of the Rural Research Priorities Project. 

The workshops are being hosted by local Community Futures Development Corporation in each area in partnership with the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph, The Monieson Centre, Queen’s School of Business, Queen’s University and The Ontario Rural Council (see attached for further details on partners). 

The Discovery Workshops will:
• Provide an opportunity for you to efficiently and effectively identify the key issues and challenges of your rural community and/or service sector and convey these to academics researchers
• Make the priorities available immediately to participants and provide summarizes of the workshop session afterwards
• Highlight a number of tools, resources, services and best practices already available to address identified challenges and issues
• Establish bridges with academic researchers interested in conducting follow up studies. 

Outcomes of the project are as follows:
• To provide baseline rural community input on critical research issues and questions
• Synthesis of community input into evidence-based research to inform and influence government and policy makers of future research priorities of critical importance to rural Ontario
• In time, rural communities, will begin to experience positive change (i.e. increased job creation, retention of community services and workforce, enhanced quality of life, and improved environment) that will be demonstrated by the results of evidence- based research
• Enhanced and increased research alliances between universities and rural communities