Dr Greg Garrard, Professor Mark Goodwin and Professor Melissa Percival 

University of Exeter strengthens relationship with University of British Columbia Okanagan

The University of Exeter and The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus (UBCO) have signed a Statement of Cooperation to further strengthen the relationship between the institutions and encourage cooperation in the areas of academic exchange, education, and research.

Dr Greg Garrard, Associate Dean Research & Graduate Studies, Faculty of Creative & Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, Professor Mark Goodwin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) and Professor Melissa Percival, Associate Dean of Global at the College of Humanities, signed the agreement last week (7^th December).

Building on previous agreements, the Universities have now agreed to create the UBCO-Exeter Excellence initiative. This includes the creation of three funding schemes over the next three years, in the form of Initiator and Catalyst Grants and a Visiting Scholar Joint Fellowship Scheme.

The grant lines will aim to help academics at Exeter and in UBC’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and Irving K Barber School of Arts and Social Sciences in tackling research and/or education challenges through collaboration.

Professor Mark Goodwin said: “UBC and Exeter are engaging through partnership to address some really vital, shared challenges of our time. The Excellence initiative will enable people of both institutions to work together and combine their knowledge and expertise to generate new knowledge, new opportunities for faculty and students, and bring impact to our communities.”

Dr Greg Garrard added: “It has been an absolute pleasure to visit the Streatham campus, meet with scholars undertaking innovative research, and renew UBC Okanagan’s partnership with the University of Exeter. I’m confident the joint funding we’re announcing will take our existing collaboration to a new level”.

Calls for applications to the Grant schemes will be launched in early January, and in spring 2022 full details of the Fellowship offer for Visiting Scholars will be shared across Exeter and UBC.

Date: 13 December 2021