Throughout its history, the University has taken effective and innovative measures to remain at the forefront of research and teaching on the Francophonie. For example, in 2003, the University established the Research Chairs in Canadian Francophonie program, which has had far-reaching effects.
“Over the past 15 years, the Research Chairs in Canadian Francophonie program has attracted some 15 top-shelf researchers from a variety of fields and has helped educate hundreds of graduate and postdoctoral students,” said University of Ottawa President Jacques Frémont.
The University is proud to build up, enhance and strengthen all aspects of the Francophonie, this time by redefining the former Research Chairs in Canadian Francophonie program in order to widen its scope and fields of research.
“The new Chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone (CRMF) program aims to pursue research on the Francophonie in the same spirit as the previous program, but within an expanded framework that corresponds to the University’s current challenges and its vision for 2030,” stated Vice-President, Research Sylvain Charbonneau.
The program’s eleven research chairs will be grouped within the Collège des Chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone. Their work will focus on the following research areas:
- three research chairs in the Francophonie in Ontario
- three research chairs in the Francophonie in Canada and the Americas (outside Ontario)
- four research chairs in international Francophonie
- one research chair in Francophone mobility
“Although every chair is distinct and independent, they will have a common goal: to create, through their activities and partnerships, a remarkable institutional research program that is both original and, most notably, unique in Canada,” said Martin Meunier, the first interim director of the Collège des chaires de recherche du monde francophone.
The CRMF program will complement the University’s current roster of such programs, namely the Canada Research Chairs program, the University Research Chairs program and the Distinguished Research Chairs program.