Frequently Asked Questions - Community

What is community-based research?


Community-based research is an approach to research that involves participation of community organizations (and/or members they represent) whose lives are affected by the issue being studied. CBR is relationship-based, collaborative research where university and community representatives become partners and work together on the projects. 

The CERC’s mandate is to facilitate connections between the U of R and our communities, and to be responsive to community needs. This means that all of our community-based research (CBR) projects are community-initiated and community-driven: they generally come from the community, not the university. There may be exceptions to this: for example, when a university-originated idea is responsive to a community need and finds support and partnerships with community groups.

How can the CERC assist us with our research needs?

CBOs can engage the CERC in two main ways:

  • By applying for a grants (up to $5,000 for a research or action project);
  • By bringing your research dollars and/or needs to us we can help find partners at the university to collaborate with you on your research project

How can we get started in working with the CERC?  

 1.         Give us a call!

Talk to the CERC Community Director (306-533-5634; lynn.gidluck@uregina.ca) to brainstorm your project and begin developing a suitable approach. If you already have a well-developed project idea you might skip to step two.

  1. Fill out a proposal form
  2. Matching

If the CERC Board of Directors think we can help you, we will try to match your proposal with a suitable researcher. There is no guarantee of a match, but our experience shows that University of Regina professors (across numerous disciplines) are engaged and passionate about community-based research.

If we receive a grant from the CERC how will the funds be administered?

If our Board awards you a grant you will receive a cheque for the full amount of the grant. If you choose to hire a student to assist you and the faculty advisor assigned to the project, your organization will be responsible for paying them, supervising their work and managing any personnel issues that might arise.

Will the CERC help us hire students?

Yes, if you need assistance in this regard we can help advertise within the university for qualified students. We can also sit in on job interviews if you think this would be helpful. 

We are unable, however, to participate in day-to-day supervision or performance management issues once the project has begun.

If we partner with the CERC will we have to get approval from the University’s Research Ethics Board for our research projects?

Faculty and community partners should have a discussion when they first meet about the type of research outputs they wish to have from the project. If there is any potential for an academic publication to result from the work, the team will need to need to go through the University of Regina’s ethic process. If, together with your faculty partner you decide it is best to proceed with a formal ethics application, the CERC Community Director will do the first draft of the application for you to save you time and make the process as easy as possible for you.

If we receive a grant what kind of reporting is expected of us?

All grantees are expected to provide us with a final report once the project is complete detailing how the funds were used. If research is published we will include it on our website.

Can we apply to the program more than once?

Yes you may apply again provided you are applying for a different activity or project. The grants are not meant to act as regular or ongoing funding. However, preference will be given to organizations who have not previously been awarded grants from the CERC. 

My organization has money in our budget for research. If we work with the university will we be charged an administration fee?

Possibly. The CERC is not responsible for negotiating contracts between faculty members and community partners when it comes to external funding. It is important for community partners to have a discussion with the Contracts officer in the Office of Research Services before embarking on any research with a university partner.