Innovation by Design: The Role of the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities in the Canadian Context

In September of 2023, the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS), supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), invited twelve Canadian universities to take part in student-led workshops or roundtable discussions on the role of the social sciences, arts, and humanities in stimulating and advancing innovation in Canada. In total, 174 participants from nine institutions contributed to this project: McMaster University, Queens University, Université de Sherbrooke, Université Laval, University of Manitoba, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, University of Prince Edward Island, and the University of Regina.

Student participants at the nine workshops and roundtables approached the topic of innovation from a variety of different perspectives, including science and technology, collaboration and connection, and interdiscplinary methods of knowledge mobilization. Opportunities and obstacles were discussed at each workshop, particularly with respect to public perceptions of the value of the social sciences and humanities, communication challenges between disciplines, and the organizational structure of academic institutions.

CAGS invited University of Regina graduate student, Elise Melanson, to produce an executive report on the Innovation by Design project. You can download the executive report, as well as the nine institutional reports, by clicking on the links below.

CAGS thanks all graduate students, postdocs, and institutional administrators who contributed to this exciting collaboration. We are grateful to SSHRC for its generous financial support.