Research Highlights

Durham College continues to be a leader in applied research fuelled by the collaboration of students, faculty and community whose work gains valuable insights that address today’s social challenges.

The Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) celebrated its 10th anniversary by opening the doors to its new home – the Centre for Innovation and Research (CIR). The CIR brings together research, innovation and experiential learning into one shared space to support meaningful collaboration, creative thinking, networking and synergistic partnerships to better serve our students and community. Four of our six applied research centres inhabit the space: AI Hub, Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation, Mixed Reality Capture Studio and Social Impact Hub.

DC was named one of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges by Research Infosource Inc. for the ninth time. We led the way among medium-sized colleges, ranking first in the percentage of social sciences funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) over a three-year period, and second in the number of paid student researchers.

We joined the City of Oshawa and our educational partners – Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham GTA and the University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering – in extending the TeachingCity partnership for another five years. The TeachingCity initiative has established Oshawa as a leader in experiential learning, applied research and innovative partnerships.

Last May, the Social Impact Hub hosted community partners, researchers, faculty and students at the Collective Impact: Shared Vision for Social Innovation virtual event, which welcomed 127 attendees from across Durham Region and beyond. They came together to share social innovation research and partnerships at DC, identify challenges and opportunities for further collaboration and learn how to become involved in future initiatives.

DC’s expertise in the gaming space was displayed during the MRC Arcade interactive event, which provided insight into the projects DC’s Mixed Reality Capture (MRC) Studio produces with local game designers, students, researchers and industry experts. Five student-made video games were displayed and playable at the event.  

We received generous grants from Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada to support a number of projects, including an accessible and inclusive image bank that will authentically represent those with a disability by focusing on the individual rather than the equipment they rely on. Media, Art and Design students captured and edited images and videos in collaboration with Spinal Cord Injury Canada throughout the 2022 fall semester.