Interior University Research Coalition

Together we educate over 40,000 students on our campuses and online, are home to 49 Research Chairs, employ more than 3,500 faculty and staff, and generate an economic impact of more than $3.5 billion.

The goal of the IURC is to accelerate the BC Interior’s research and innovation ecosystem by harmonizing resources, enhancing student and faculty mobility, increasing academic opportunities, and establishing community connections.

The IURC will create new opportunities for the BC Interior by attracting additional talent and investment, by building on the region’s existing strengths and resources, and by creating new opportunities for economic and social innovation. The Coalition will leverage the resources, affiliations and expertise, connecting publicly-funded research and researchers with community, business and industry experts, and will advance the research and development and commercialization potential of the BC Interior.

The Interior & Northern Work Integrated Learning Coalition, a partnership between Thompson Rivers University (TRU), the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), and University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), aims to direct connection between industry and institution, opening the door for employers to cost-effectively innovate, increase capacity, and contribute to a future skilled workforce. Helping employers engage with skilled student talent helps support the changing needs of small and medium sized organizations.

Situated within Northern and Interior of British Columbia, TRU, UBCO, and UNBC serve both urban and rural regions that are located in areas of the province that are predominantly populated by small and medium-sized enterprises and organizations. Pandemic notwithstanding, small and medium sized organizations face challenges in their business that large sized enterprises might not face, including staffing levels, resources, funding and more. These challenges, among many others, can become barriers for an organization when implementing a change or considering involvement in Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) programming.

As post-pandemic economic recovery planning is underway, the three institutions are partnering to ensure access to resources, funding, and student talent are available to those who could benefit from utilizing these resources as their organization plans for the future. INWIL has developed this website along with a resource hub to support and address some of the regional challenges faced by small and medium sized organizations. To learn more and get involved, check out the INWIL website at: https://inwil.opened.ca

Collaborations

UBC and TRU team up to explore useful bio-products found in cannabis.

Dr. Naowarat Cheeptham, associate professor, microbiology, TRU, joined by Dr. Cori Lausen, TRU adjunct faculty, and Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada bat biologist, and Dr. Karen Hodges, conservation ecologist, UBC-O, for “Developing a Prophylactic Probiotic Approach to Reducing Severity of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats.”

Dr. Robert Hanlon, assistant professor, politics, TRU, with Dr. Paul Bowles, professor, international studies, UNBC, and Dr. Khan Jahirul Islam, Lecturer, Economics, UBC-O, for “Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project.”

Dr. John Hull, associate professor, tourism management, TRU, with Dr. Donna Senese, associate professor, geography, UBC-O, for “Exploring wine, craft beer/cider, culinary tourism futures through rural resilience.”

Contact Us

Troy Fuller
Director, Research and Graduate Studies | Thompson Rivers University

tfuller@tru.ca 250-371-5569

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