Knowledge Mobilization and Engagement Award
The Knowledge Mobilization and Engagement Award is presented annually to an individual researcher who has demonstrated exceptional and outstanding achievement in communicating research beyond the University and/or driving significant impact in shaping evidence-based policy and practice. This award recognizes the researcher's ability to generate new ideas through active engagement and collaborations with external organizations and communities, successfully combining knowledge from different spheres of society.
Award recipient(s) will receive a certificate of recognition and a monetary award of $2,000 as a one-time payment (subject to applicable deductions).
Key criteria: Scholarly, research and creative activity; knowledge mobilization, dissemination
Nomination guidelines
- TFA members are eligible to be nominated for this award. Please note that retired members, professors��� emeriti and adjunct professors are not eligible.
- Faculty who receive this award may not be nominated for the same award for two years (e.g., 2023-2024 recipients cannot be nominated for the same award until 2026-2027).
- Award recipients shall present to the university community a brief description of the scholarly, research or creative work for which they are receiving the award.
Candidates are nominated by two colleagues, a ���Nominator��� and a ���Seconder���. The Nominator is required to supply the information and documents as outlined below under Nomination Process and Nomination Package. A Seconder for each nomination is also required and may assist the Nominator in preparing the nomination package. The seconder is not required to submit any additional documentation.
Please note:
- Either the Nominator or the Seconder must be external to the nominee���s home department or school.
- There is no option at any point in the nomination and review process to change the nominee���s award category.
- Nominators and Seconders must be faculty members. Nominations from staff members or students will not be accepted.
Excellence in communicating research beyond the University and/or significant impact in shaping evidence-based policy and practice as evidenced by the:
- Design of knowledge mobilization/engagement initiative(s)
- Execution of knowledge mobilization/engagement initiative(s)
- Impact of knowledge mobilization/engagement initiative(s)
Contributions to the training and research careers of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists and technical staff are foundational to 91心頭利���s SRC activities. The nominee���s contributions to training, taking into account the standards of the field, will be considered in the adjudication process.
- Obtain the nominee���s/nominees��� consent to be nominated. In the case of a team nomination, the primary nominee must affirm permission for both members of the team.
- Complete the nomination package as described below.
- Submit the nomination package via the Online Nomination Portal on the Recognition website.
- The nominee will receive a confirmation email with a link to provide online consent. This step must be completed before the submission deadline.
- Nominations submitted past the deadline (including the nominee���s/nominees��� consent) will not be accepted by the Review Committee.
The nomination should provide:
- Citation (100 word maximum) highlighting in brief how the nominee meets the criteria for this award, including any related notable achievements. This text will be used in the creation of related university communications should the nominee be selected.
- Supporting Statement (three page maximum) that explicitly describes how the nominee(s) meet the award criteria.
- Summary (two page maximum) of the SRC impact and strengths of the nominee(s)
- Include a brief note about norms for the field, as these can vary across disciplines.
- Indicate how the SRC activities of the nominee(s) demonstrate exceptional and outstanding effort in communicating research beyond the University through each of the following:
- Design of knowledge mobilization/engagement initiative(s)
- Execution of knowledge mobilization/engagement initiative(s)
- Impact of knowledge mobilization/engagement initiative(s)
- The supporting statement and summary should be written in language that can be understood by non-experts.
- The nominator has the option to provide up to a maximum of five supporting materials including, if appropriate, external appraisals of the nominee���s/nominees��� work and/or up to two significant publications. A publication is defined as a full-length article or book chapter (no page limit), either of which counts as one document. Non-publication supporting materials may not exceed ten pages in total.
- The nominee will be prompted by email to submit their updated abbreviated CV in CCV or OCGS format (other CV formats will not be accepted), highlighting in yellow the relevant key contributions related to the nomination. The service component may be removed from the abbreviated CV. This requirement is submitted after the initial nomination process.
The award recipient(s) shall be recommended to the VPRI by the OVPRI Prizes and Awards Committee. Members of the Committee who are nominated or who are acting as a nominator must recuse themselves from all discussion related to the selection process for this award. The Committee may recommend not to present an award in a particular academic year.
Nomination deadline: November 10, 2026 at noon
Recipient notified by: December 21, 2026
Award presentation: Celebration of Excellence; Toronto Met Awards Gala
Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation
srcfunding@torontomu.ca
Celebration details
This award is celebrated at the Celebration of Excellence and the Toronto Met Awards Gala.