Office of Research & Graduate Studies (ORGS)

The Office or Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) operates to support, promote, and plan research at Cape Breton University. We are guided by the Strategic Research Plan (SRP) 2020-25, which helps define CBU’s research directions and establishes achievable targets to enhance CBU’s research portfolio; ORGS oversees the implementation of the SRP, with a team that is dedicated to helping faculty develop and nurture their research programs, especially where research activity may involve internal or external funding and external partners.  

ORGS oversees many of the regulatory processes, including research ethics and integrity, working with researchers to meet these requirements. ORGS keeps faculty informed of research opportunities, helps find new avenues for funding or partnerships, including exploring opportunities for commercialization of research. The Office is an important hub for research promotion and communication to build awareness of the excellent research happening at CBU. ORGS takes pride in communicating and celebrating CBU research to share the benefits and accomplishments with the broader community.  

Supporting your work

CBU’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies is here to support our researchers, and to support research infrastructure and enable research connections. Our dedicated team is always ready to provide guidance on everything from institutional processes to brainstorming a research project.

Unsure where to start? Contact research@cbu.ca to get to know your ORGS team.

Services

If you’re CBU faculty or a CBU-affiliated researcher and you’re about to embark on a research or research-related project, you should consider whether you need to be working through the Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS). Many internal processes, such as research contracts/agreements, grant applications, and research ethics protocols need to pass through the Research Office for guidance, processing, and approvals.

Not sure where to start? Reach out to research@cbu.ca and we’ll help get you on the right path!

Research Committee of Senate

The ORGS works closely with the Research Committee of Senate in order to facilitate and advance research matters at CBU. Specifically, the ORGS assists with three subcommittees of the Research Committee of Senate: the Animal Care Committee, the Research Assistance Committee, and the Research Ethics Board.

In brief, the Research Committee of Senate:

• Acts as a forum for the development, promotion, and administration of University research;
• Appoints members to the Research Assistance Committee, Research Ethics Board, and Animal Care Committee;
• Considers proposals to establish research centres and research institutes;
• Considers major reports of granting bodies affecting University research;
• Oversees the RISE grant process and reports the amounts and names of awardees to Senate;
• Provides advice and recommendations to Senate and the University Administration on all matters related to research at the University;
• Recommends to Senate the appeal procedures for decisions of the Research Assistance Committee Research Ethics Board, and Animal Care Committee; and
• Serves as a liaison with other research-related bodies and committees.

For an official list of the Research Committee of Senate’s duties, scope, and composition, please refer to the Terms of Reference for the Standing Committees of Senate on the Intranet.