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Building pathways to education: a Q-and-A with Professor Carl James

Two Black students outside on York's Keele Campus

Studies have shown that Black students are significantly under-represented on Canadian post-secondary campuses, due in large part to systemic barriers. The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora, now fully endowed and housed within York University’s Faculty of Education, aims to address this disparity and others by advancing access, equity, and inclusivity to education through community engagement and collaborative action.

Carl James
Carl James

Distinguished Research Professor Carl James, who has held the position of Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora since 2016, met with YFile to discuss the Chair, his role within it and what the recent $1.5 million in federal funding means for its future.

Q: For those who are unfamiliar, can you describe the mandate of the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora?

A: We work with community to enable and support students from racialized and marginalized groups through education; not only through elementary, middle and high school, but through university and college as well.

Q: What is your focus in your role as Chair?

A: I’m very interested in programming because it is a useful reference for knowing about the experiences and concerns of Black community members and students. In this way, we get to know about the research questions we might want to explore. There’s a tendency to separate research from program, but I think Jean Augustine expects the Chair to combine research with programs. It is simply not research for research’s sake. Instead, once you do the research, we should act on it.

I particularly like the participatory action research we do, where we set up a program and then, as the program proceeds, we research the program – is it working, is it not working, and why? And as we conduct the research, we might put into place some adjustments to the program if it’s not heading towards the expected outcome. Hence, when we’re promoting the idea that a particular program works, we will be able to say the program works because we have done the necessary research and have some documented evidence. We use the participants as researchers, as well, collaborating with them about the information we’re trying to gather.

Q: Can you explain what it means that the Chair is now fully funded?

A: The federal government’s recent $1.5-million contribution towards the endowment means that the Chair is well positioned to continue with its activities. It also means that we now have endowment funds to create some of the programs we’ve been wanting to.

Q: What is the Day at York program?

A: The Day at York program, which has hosted over 450 students from Ontario (and some from Halifax, Nova Scotia) in the past year and a half, provides Black students enrolled in Grades 7 to 12 with an opportunity to imagine themselves at a post-secondary institution.

We can tell students to go to university, but it’s difficult to imagine if you don’t have something to stimulate or inform that imagination. This program helps insofar as students are able to attend lectures, workshops, campus tours, and networking sessions with students, alumni and Black faculty members.

When students think of, where should I go to university, sometimes familiarity with an institution might help them to choose a particular university or program. It provides many opportunities that students would not have otherwise had.

Q: What are your proudest accomplishments in this role so far?

A: One of the things I’m particularly pleased with is the Jean Augustine Chair (JAC) Student Network, which involves Black undergraduate and graduate students and recent graduates. The group contributes to the work of the Chair by sharing their experiences navigating university and working to be successful in their respective educational programs. Members act as hosts and mentors to high-school students who come on campus; and they do not only help to inform and contribute to the Chair’s research agenda, they also participate in the research as respondents, research assistants and collaborators. Ultimately, the network provides members with opportunities for personal, educational, team building and work-related skill development in an affirming and supportive post-secondary educational environment.

Also, we have the Jean Augustine Chair’s annual Black History Month event that happens every year in partnership with the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design’s music program. Called Word, Sound, Power: An Annual Celebration of Black Artistic Expression, it is a showcase of talent, creativity and cultural pride. It is taking place this year on Feb. 7. It is held in recognition of one of Jean Augustine’s legacies – that is, the crucial role she played in establishing Black History Month in Canada. Therefore, it seems logical to hold an event at York through the Chair.

Q: What are some other projects you’re working on as part of the Chair?

A: We’re currently conducting research on social capital, a significantly new area to explore. We’re looking at how individuals employ their social capital – that is, their cultural assets, interests, aspirations, education and consciousness of what is possible – to take advantage of opportunities by which they might access training and employment to realize their social, economic, career and other ambitions. In partnership with the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism and York University’s School of Continuing Studies, we will investigate the lived experiences and needs of racialized Canadians, using the three years of the project to collect data that will help to inform educational and employment program initiatives.  

As well, we recently received program funding from the RBC Foundation to put in place Securing Black Futures, a national partnership by which we might collectively work to build pathways for Black youth to pursue their educational goals and attain academic and career success. Led by us at York and working in partnership with colleagues from six universities across the country, the program activities will serve to inform us about relevant and appropriate educational and social interventions and supports for Black youth. We will also get to know how we might best mentor, enable, support and educate Black students in their pursuit of post-secondary education, as well as particular educational and career pathways – particularly STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Q: Looking toward the future, how do you hope the now fully endowed Jean Augustine Chair will impact the lives of Black and marginalized youth in Canada?

A: I think that a fully endowed Chair is nicely positioned to continue with its current local, regional and national initiatives. These include: supporting students in constructing their aspirations, in their decision processes as they journey towards their future selves; facilitating the voices of Black Canadians as they tell of their experiences through the research we will conduct, report and publish; helping to build university-community partnerships through which we might help to address structural and institutional barriers to full inclusion and equity of Black and other racialized people within Canadian society; and making substantial research contributions about Black life in Canada, taking into account education, employment, health and housing needs. 

Q: How important is the York University community to the success of the Chair?

A: We cannot underestimate the support that York University has given the Chair, both financial and otherwise. Neither can we underestimate the contributions of the Faculty of Education, faculty members from across the University, our community advisory committee, and our partners at York University centres such as the Harriet Tubman Institute and the Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean. It’s this whole network of people that enables the work of the Chair.

York profs, alumni help expand UNESCO’s history of Africa

africa map in brown color

In 1964, the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) began a project aiming to rewrite the history of the entire African continent, from the first appearance of humans through to modern-day Africa and its diasporas.

Cover of "General History of Africa, X: Africa and its Diasporas"

To accomplish that feat, the organization called upon more than 230 leading experts in the field of African studies, whose work was overseen by an International Scientific Committee. The finished product, the General History of Africa, was completed in 1999 and included eight richly illustrated volumes.

A lot has changed since 1999, however, so UNESCO continued its work and recently published three new volumes reflecting the latest social, political, and archaeological developments on the continent and beyond.

One of those volumes, General history of Africa, X: Africa and its diasporas, edited by University of Pennsylvania Professor Vanicléia Silva Santos, includes contributions from many York University community members – both faculty and alumni – signifying their trusted expertise in the field.

Michele Johnson
Michele Johnson

The York-affiliated contributors are: Professor Michele A. Johnson, associate dean of students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies; Paul E. Lovejoy, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus and Canada Research Chair in the Department of History; Nielson Rosa Bezerra, former Banting Fellow (2012-14) at York’s Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa & its Diasporas; and alumni Mohammed Bashir Salau (PhD), Olatunji Ojo (PhD), Vanessa S. Oliveira (PhD) and Behnaz Mirzai (PhD).

Paul Lovejoy
Paul Lovejoy

“The three new volumes are important because they break with the former continental approach to Africa to address ‘global Africa,’ where people went into diaspora,” explains Lovejoy, a member of the project’s International Scientific Committee whose role it was to organize one-third of Volume X.

His major contribution involved assembling over 200 pages of essays, which he then edited and composed an introduction for.

“The whole series,” Lovejoy says, “is a monumental achievement and important reference that targets not only current scholarship but also schools, libraries and a public that does not easily have access to scholarly analysis – not only in Africa but throughout the world.”

With editions now available in English, Portuguese and French, he says the publication will eventually be translated into many more languages to maximize its reach and impact.

For more information about the project and publications, visit General History of Africa | UNESCO.

Osgoode’s Sikh law students create first-of-its-kind national network

Group of Indian friends at the park

Members of the fledgling Osgoode Sikh Students Association (OSSA) – the first group of its kind in Canada – are playing a key role in bringing Sikh law students together. Not just at Osgoode Hall Law School, but across the country.

The rigours and demands of law school can be a challenge under the best of circumstances, but even more so without support. “The feeling of community in law school can make or break a student’s experience,” says Dalraj Singh Gill, co-president of the OSSA, which was launched in the summer of 2022 and aims to improve its members’ law school experience.

Tripat Kaur Sandhu (left) and Dalraj Singh Gill (right), co-presidents of the Osgoode Sikh Students Association, receiving the Osgoode Student Club Award for Community Building.

Third-year Osgoode student and OSSA co-president Tripat Kaur Sandhu and Osgoode graduate Karen Kaur Randhawa, a co-founder of the group, established the group with the hope that the initiative would benefit not only Sikh students at the law school, but the wider Osgoode community, the legal profession at large and Sikh law students across Canada.

Gill – a 2025 candidate in the Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration program at Osgoode and Shulich – said one way the organization is looking to accomplish that is by helping Sikh students to remain rooted in the central principles of the Sikh faith, including the pursuit of justice and standing against oppression – ideals that are also relevant to the practice of law. 

Members also hope OSSA, through events and activities, can help improve understanding of the Sikh community at Osgoode and provide a platform to advocate for Sikh issues and other racialized and minority communities at the school.

“Our goal, among others,” said Gill, “is to tackle systemic barriers which prevent Sikh students and persons of colour from accessing the legal profession.”

Since establishing OSSA, the co-founders have actively reached out to Sikh law students across Canada, encouraging and supporting their efforts to launch chapters at their own universities. And their outreach has proven successful, with many Sikh Students Association (SSA) chapters popping up across the country throughout 2023 – at the University of Ottawa in January, at Toronto Metropolitan University in February, at the University of Windsor in May, at Thompson Rivers University in the summer and at Queens University in the fall. This year, an SSA chapter is being eyed at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Last year, the Osgoode Legal & Literary Society recognized OSSA’s impactful work with its annual Student Club Award for Community Building.

“We are also hoping to get in touch with B.C. law schools,” said Gill, “and then later expand across to law schools in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and at Dalhousie in Nova Scotia.”

Gill added that although the SSA chapters are not affiliated with the Canadian Association of Sikh Lawyers, his group’s goal is to create a Canada-wide network and community that will extend to alumni groups and established legal professionals. A longer-term goal is to eventually host a national conference involving all SSA chapters.

York prof to moderate panel on Black students’ mental health

Two Black students walking inside on York's Keele Campus

Research continues to indicate that anti-Black racism takes a toll on mental health – and academia is not immune to this unfortunate reality. As part of the upcoming Black Student Mental Health Symposium, York University Professor Agnès Berthelot-Raffard will moderate a panel discussion featuring experts from York and beyond speaking about mental health challenges faced by Black students, the racial climate on campus, and equity, diversity and inclusion in the university setting.

Agnès Berthelot-Raffard
Agnès Berthelot-Raffard

Open to all community members, the Feb. 5 event – taking place from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Founders Assembly Hall on York’s Keele Campus – aims to provide a space to explore strategies and resources to support the mental well-being of Black students, faculty and staff on university campuses.

Berthelot-Raffard, a professor in the School of Health Policy & Management, is the principal investigator of the Promoting Black Students’ Mental Health: A Pan-Canadian Research and Intervention Project on Social Determinants of Health and Equity in Canadian Universities, a project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada for 2021-24. For this event, she gathered a group of notable York leaders and experts to contribute their diverse knowledge to the panel discussion:

  • Delores Mullings, vice-provost of equity, diversity and inclusion at Memorial University and a professor of social work;
  • Sophie Yohani, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Alberta;
  • Carl James, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, a professor at York University, and York’s senior advisor on equity and representation in the Office of the Vice-President of Equity, People and Culture;
  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau, instructor and special advisor at the Schulich School of Business; and
  • Yasmine Gray, York University alumna from the Critical Disability Studies program.

For more information and to register for the event, visit the Eventbrite page.

York’s TD CEC boosts local, youth-led projects

Group multiracial friends taking selfie picture with mobile smartphone outside - Happy young with hands up laughing at camera - Youth concept with guys and girls having fun walking on city street

With a $178,000 federal grant received this year from Employment & Social Development Canada (ESDC), the York University TD Community Engagement Centre (CEC) has funded new youth-led projects in the Jane-Finch and Black Creek community.

Since 2014, the CEC’s mandate has been to support York’s commitment to build a more engaged university by fostering collaborations between the University and the Black Creek community. Through its Catalyst Grants program, over the past decade the CEC has awarded over $150,000 in university-community partnership projects promoting access to post-secondary education, supporting community-based research and creating experiential education opportunities for students through its Catalyst Grants program. 

Grant recipients listen in during a workshop at the Professional Development & Social Gathering organized by the York U TD CEC. (L-R) Sariena Luy, Victor Adarquah, Shon Williams, and Abena McRae.
Grant recipients listen in during a workshop at the Professional Development & Social Gathering organized by the York U TD CEC.
Pictures, left to right: Sariena Luy, Victor Adarquah, Shon Williams and Abena McRae. Photo by Jhanoi Walker.

The recent ESDC grant allowed CEC to offer Catalyst Grants in a different way. “With this special offering of the grant, we are excited to focus specifically on youth-led projects from the Jane-Finch and Black Creek community,” said Anda Petro, community projects co-ordinator at CEC. “We received numerous excellent applications from youth aged 15 to 30 for projects that demonstrated community benefit, and ultimately selected 12 projects to be funded.”

Among them are projects like a computer literacy program for seniors, a project helping youth grow indoor edible gardens, an interview/film project capturing experiences of youth in the community, and a workshop to help entrepreneurs and creatives to develop podcasts.

Petro noted that some of the selected projects are led by current or past York students who are from the community. For example, Abigail Dunbar is a first-year dance student (bachelor of fine arts) who received a grant for her project called “Inspiring Community Dance Connections,” which will bring her passion for dance to youth within the community. “This program will not only teach them dance but my hope is that it will also help them to form a second family in the community, teach discipline and help them to develop their own way of self expression,” said Dunbar.

Grant recipients at the Catalyst Grant Professional Development & Social Gathering. (L-R) Princess Anthony and Victor Adarquah.
Grant recipients at the Catalyst Grant Professional Development & Social Gathering.
Pictured, left to right: Princess Anthony and Victor Adarquah.
Photo by Jhanoi Walker.

Dunbar’s ambitions reflect CEC’s own hopes for the funded initiatives. “Not only do the projects support youth leadership and development, but they also directly benefit the broader community,” said Petro.

Administering the grants, the CEC provides continuous support and training opportunities for the youth grant recipients, fostering connections between the community and the University. Recently, the CEC organized a professional development and networking event, enabling young project leaders to refine skills like program evaluation while strengthening their connections.

Byron Gray, manager of the CEC, highlighted the centre’s unique position in bridging the university-community gap. “As a bridge between the University and the community, the CEC plays a pivotal role in advancing York University’s position as an anchor institution,” Gray remarked. “Initiatives like this showcase the tremendous impact we can achieve by supporting the remarkable talent within the community. Through this and other funding opportunities, we hope to grow this program and continue to support even more of these impactful youth-led projects in the Jane-Finch community in the coming years.”

New smudging program makes Indigenous tradition accessible to all

Bundle of sage for indigenous smudging ceremony

York University’s Centre for Indigenous Knowledges & Languages (CIKL), an interdisciplinary research centre that supports Indigenous and decolonizing scholarship, launched a new smudging program late last year to provide all students, faculty and staff with a welcoming place to clear their minds and experience the benefits of sacred Indigenous medicines.

Practised by many Indigenous people in Canada and around the world for both medicinal and spiritual purposes, smudging ceremonies typically involve prayer and the burning of sacred medicines such as sweetgrass, cedar, sage and tobacco.

Rainingbird Daniels
Rainingbird Daniels

Rainingbird Daniels (Cree/Souix/Dakota from Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan), CIKL’s current work-study student and special projects assistant, came up with the idea to introduce a smudging program at York in October 2023. It was approved and launched the following month, and resumed on Jan. 9 following the winter break. 

“The smudging program is a way to support all/Indigenous students, faculty and staff by offering the four sacred medicines in Indigenous (Native American) culture,” said Daniels. “This was implemented so the smudge is accessible for everyone, regardless of their situation.”

Daniels hopes this program will help community members start their week with positivity and provide a safe place to pray and/or gain knowledge about traditional Indigenous practices. 

The smudging program, which runs every Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in 353B York Lanes, is open to all York community members (Indigenous/non-Indigenous). For more information, visit the Centre for Indigenous Knowledges & Languages.

Program helps students identifying as Asian soar

Composite of diverse range of Asian students

York University’s Asian Business and Management Program (ABMP) will launch the second series of its Career | Fit professional experience program, which aims to build upon its success in spring and summer 2023 helping Canadian and international university students who identify as Asian launch their careers.

The Career | Fit programs, sponsored by RBC through RBC Future Launch, seek to implement ABMP’s approach to meet the evolving needs of students who identify as Asian. It aims to do so in bridging theory and practice in financial, consulting and tech business environments by equipping students with real-world skills, theoretical knowledge, practical experience and industry insight.

RBC shares that goal in their collaboration with York and ABMP. “When young people succeed, we all succeed,” says Mark Beckles, vice-president social impact and innovation at RBC. “With partners such as York University, we’re working together to meet the evolving needs of students.”

The Career | Fit program runs over six weeks with 12 two-hour, online, non-degree, non-credit sessions and hands-on projects mentored by an experienced professional from a Fortune 500 organization that help accelerate student experiences. “Not only do students walk away with accelerated knowledge about how to solve real-world industry challenges but they develop core competencies that are in demand,” says Tammy Kim-Newman, associate director of employer and alumni engagement from the York University Career Centre.

In the spring and summer of 2023, the inaugural program saw applications double the available spots, indicative of interest in the program and its potential – something Elena Caprioni, ABMP program director, is proud to have met. “I am delighted that the RBC Career | Fit programs have already impacted almost 100 students who identify as Asian, helping them to achieve their career goals,” she says.

Looking ahead to Series 2 of the Carreer | Fit program, beginning in May 2024, Caprioni is excited to build on the success of Series 1. “We are eager to continue our journey, offering dynamic and innovative educational experiences to students, and helping to shape a brighter, more inclusive future for them,” she says.

Series 2 will once again offer five programs – focusing on business, data or financial analysis – for up to 120 students (an increase from Series 1) and help change their professional lives. “We aspire to empower students who identify as Asian with practical knowledge, enhance their professional confidence and foster valuable connections with industry experts, helping them to navigate the corporate world and figure out their dream career paths post-graduation,” says Caprioni.

For more information about Career | Fit programs, visit the ABMP website. Applications for Series 2 will open in February.

York U sociologist travels to COP28 to research Indigenous climate leadership

COP28 flag

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) wrapped up on Dec. 12, with more than 50,000 delegates who descended upon Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for the annual international climate summit.  

Among the delegates was York University’s Angele Alook, an assistant professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies, and her research team: community-based researcher Lydia Johnson, of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, with the Centre for Indigenous Knowledges & Languages; and PhD student and graduate associate Ana Cardoso.   

The trio were there to conduct field work for a project called Indigenous Climate Leadership and Self-determined Futures, which aims to highlight and advance the understanding of Indigenous methods to mitigate climate change, derived from traditional knowledge and governance, among Indigenous activists and leaders, knowledge holders, other researchers and policymakers.  

From left to right: Angele Alook, Lydia Johnson, Graeme Reed and Ana Carolina De Almeida Cardoso at the COP28 Indigenous Peoples Pavillion
From left to right: Angele Alook, Lydia Johnson, Graeme Reed and Ana Carolina De Almeida Cardoso at the COP28 Indigenous Peoples Pavillion.

The project’s findings will eventually be shared through both academic publications as well as several arts-based approaches, including photography, video and graphic novels. It is funded by the Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Research Clusters initiative, created by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at York University.

Alook, who is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation in Alberta, talks about the Indigenous-led project and her COP28 experience in this Q-and-A below. 

Q: What was your main objective with attending COP28?  

A: My team and I went to Dubai to interview several Indigenous leaders from Turtle Island (North America) and elsewhere in the world. We wanted to talk to them on the ground as they are simultaneously actively engaged in climate discussions with world leaders, government agencies, scientists and organizations. We believe capturing their stories in this moment will provide us with their best insights for our project.   

Much of our questions focus on learning about what motivated them to attend COP28, the challenges they face in a colonial space, their experience in policy talks and negotiations, and their climate actions back home.    

We also presented on several panels at the Indigenous People’s Pavilion and Canada Pavilion. We participated in the Local Communities and Indigenous People’s Platform youth knowledge holders discussions. We also participated alongside our Indigenous kin in several United Nations-sanctioned actions to promote Indigenous rights and human rights.  

Q: Why is Indigenous participation at events like COP28 important? 

A: COP28 represents the biggest international stage for climate change talks, but Indigenous Peoples make up only a small number of attendees. Indigenous Peoples are knowledge keepers and I believe they have real solutions to deal with climate change. We have a relationship to the Earth grounded in land-based practices and sustainability, so Indigenous Peoples’ voices are incredibly valuable if we want to see effective climate policies developed around the world.  

There’s also a lot of advocacy work that happens at these conferences to uphold Indigenous sovereignty, including in international treaties. Certain parts of the Paris Agreement, like article six, which focuses on carbon markets, could have serious implications for Indigenous Peoples and their assertion of rights. Some Indigenous communities have voiced their concerns that article six could lead to their lands or territories being exploited by companies or governments for carbon offsetting. It’s important Indigenous Peoples are fully consulted on these issues, as they often are the ones most impacted by these decisions.   

Q: COP28 marks the fourth time you’ve attended the summit. What progress do you see being made for Indigenous Peoples in climate discussions? What was your overall experience like? 

A: On progress, I think Indigenous people involved in negotiations at COP27 would point to the creation of the climate Loss and Damage Fund, which could benefit smaller nation states with Indigenous communities most affected by climate change. This year, they also announced a Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Actions Partnership with former United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton in attendance. However, these funds go to nation states that colonize Indigenous Peoples, who are demanding direct access to these funds, instead of those who continue to colonize us. 

I do think it’s one thing to come to COP as a business person or civil servant, but I think it’s a very different thing to come as an Indigenous person. There’s a whole other world taking place here among Indigenous attendees in terms of relationship building. There is an immense amount of Indigenous knowledge from around the world being shared with one another. I think it strengthens our sovereignty and our own Indigeneity to tell these stories to each other and acknowledge our shared experiences.  

Personally, the most hopeful thing I’ve felt at COP28 seems to be this growing solidarity among Indigenous Peoples. More and more Indigenous people are showing up as bold leaders in these spaces, sharing their knowledge and using their voices. It’s been an amazing experience for me and my research assistants to connect and listen to them. 

York announces new funds to promote Black scholarship 

Black student arboretum York campus laptop study

York University has launched three new funding initiatives in support of Black researchers and their scholarly pursuits.  

Carl James
Carl James

Established by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) in consultation with Carl James, senior advisor on equity and representation in the Office of the Vice-President Equity, People & Culture, the funds are intended to help address systemic anti-Black racism and white supremacy within academia, as well as to help the University rise to the challenges laid out in the Action Plan on Black Inclusion and Framework on Black Inclusion.  

“The values of equity, diversity and inclusion underpin York University’s research enterprise, and Black scholarship is vital to its growth and expansion,” said Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. “These new funds aim to address historical disparities and empower Black researchers, fostering their talents and impactful work that reflects the diversity of our community of changemakers.”  

VPRI also recently made $25,000 per year available to two Black-focused organized research units, the Harriet Tubman Institute and the Centre of Excellence for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean (CERLAC), to support equity, diversity and inclusion efforts.  

“These initiatives show our commitment to removing systematic barriers and combatting anti-Black racism in our spaces,” said Alice Pitt, vice-president equity, people and culture. “Through the allocation of funds and resources, we ensure that Black excellence in research is recognized in the curriculum and collections in all disciplines.” 

The three new funds, currently seeking applicants, are:  

1. York Black Research Seed Fund 

The York Black Research Seed Fund was established in 2022 to provide mentorship and funding in support of the research activities of Black academics, with priority given to emerging and early-career researchers. The primary intent is to promote equitable and inclusive funding to help set roots for research projects and support future growth. The pilot round of the York Black Research Seed Fund launched a call for applications in February 2022, with a total of $150,000 of funding awarded to six scholars in June 2022.  

Currently, the call for applications for the second round of funding has been released. There is a total of $225,000 available for a maximum of nine projects. The applications are due on Jan. 22, 2024 by 4:30 p.m. EST. The call for applications can be found here. 

2. York Incentive Grant for Black Scholars and Black Scholarship  

The York Black Scholarly Incentive Grant provides support for the development of research grant applications related to Black scholarship to external sources as articulated in York’s Strategic Research Plan 2023-2028. The main purpose of the fund is to defray costs associated with standard programs of research, such as: Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants; Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Connection Grants; SSHRC Insight and Insight Development Grants; and SSHRC Partnership Development Grants. While the scale of initiatives supported may vary according to discipline, all proposals must clearly demonstrate the intended external source of support.  

The deadline is rolling – applications can be submitted at any time. There is a maximum of $3,000 available per applicant; however, the award is not to be used to conduct research. The application can be found here. 

3. Funding for Black Scholars and Black Scholarship: Events and Outreach Activities 

The Funding for Black Scholars and Black Scholarship: Events and Outreach Activities is intended for scholarly events or outreach activities that support Black scholarship and inclusion, build the profile and reputation of Black-focused and Black-led research, and strengthen the research culture of Black scholarship and inclusion at York University. Successful applicants can normally expect funding in the range of $500 to $1,500, depending on the level of demand across the University and the scope of the activity. 

VPRI is also accepting applications for outreach and engagement activities that connect academic researchers and students with non-academic audiences (industry, governments, community and non-profit organizations, schools, the public). These funds will be capped at $1,000, with 20 awards available in each year evenly spread over four competitions per year.    

The application deadlines in 2024 are Jan. 1, April 1, July 1 and Sept. 1. The application form can be found here. 

Intellectual property services at York give startups innovation edge 

research patent innovation

By Diana Senwasane, student and community engagement coordinator, YSpace and VPRI 

For more than a decade, the IP Innovation Clinic at York University has been helping inventors and entrepreneurs protect and grow their wide-ranging business ventures.  

Based out of Osgoode Hall Law School, the first-of-its-kind and now largest intellectual property (IP) legal clinic in Canada has provided pro bono legal support to hundreds of community members.   

Recently, the clinic partnered with the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) to offer streamlined services and a more efficient pathway for faculty to bring their product or service to market.  

This new partnership enhances the clinic’s ongoing contributions to the business development of dozens of startups.  

Spotlighted below are three ventures that credit the clinic for helping them reach new levels of success.     

NURO 

Founded in 2017, NURO is a health-care technology company that uses neurotechnology to create a form of communication for incapacitated patients who suffer from conditions such as stroke, trauma and neurodegenerative diseases.  

NURO’s second patented technology, The PAD, used for the detection and continuous monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease.

When the startup was first established, founder and CEO Francois Gand was referred to the IP Innovation Clinic to protect his intellectual property.  

“This collaboration empowered us to assess and prioritize crucial aspects of our work with the aid of talented scholars, allowing for a much more intricate and in-depth organization of our IP portfolio,” says Gand.  

The clinic provided pro bono patent searching that helped NURO assess the relevant patent landscape related to its technologies and helped the company begin the patent application process, resulting in NURO securing a patent and its IP more broadly.  

Skygauge Robotics 

Skygauge Robotics was founded by a trio of then-students, now York alumni, including two who were featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list: Nikita Illiushkin (BBA ’16) and Linar Ismagilov (BA ’18). Their company uses drones to create a workforce in the sky.  

A Skyguage Robotics drone performing an inspection on a ship. 

The drones do physical work for remote inspection and maintenance and can be used for painting, pressure washing, cleaning and even ultrasonic testing, which is used when inspecting large infrastructure like ships, bridges and piping.  

The IP Innovation Clinic helped Skygauge Robotics secure their IP, which later contributed to them obtaining $3.3 million in funding led by BDC’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund.  

“What really set us apart from other companies competing for funding was the fact that we had our technology patented,” says Illiushkin. “We credit the IP Innovation Clinic for their guidance and support in the IP process and the expertise of the supervising legal team who continue to advise us today.” 

Indigenous Friends Association 

The Indigenous-led, not-for-profit organization created by then-student, now York alumnus Alejandro  Mayoral-Baños (PhD ’21) first began as an app to connect and support Indigenous youth. Mayoral-Baños turned to the IP Innovation Clinic to understand how to best protect his IP, develop essential contracts and become incorporated.  

Founder Alejandro Mayoral-Baños (top middle) posing with the Indigenous Friends Association board of directors.

The clinic was instrumental in helping evolve the app into other projects and gain access to more funding, notably a $210,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.  

“Working with the clinic was a transformative journey in turning vision into reality,” says Mayoral-Baños. “It enabled me to critically navigate the complexities of IP, leading to the creation of real-life solutions that have propelled the Indigenous Friends Association forward.” 

The Indigenous Friends Association now provides educational programs for Indigenous youth looking to enter the technology sector across the globe. 

The IP Innovation Clinic continues to offer tailored support for inventors and entrepreneurs looking to protect and commercialize their ideas.  

Backed by the expertise of the clinic and VPRI teams, these services give inventors and entrepreneurs the peace of mind that their intellectual property is protected. Clients can simplify a complicated process, avoid errors that can delay their journey to market, avoid costly lawyer or patent agent fees, and save valuable time.  

Services offered by the clinic can include: 

  • guidance on how to identify and protect assets, best practices and information surrounding freedom to operate; 
  • patent searches and prior art searches;  
  • trademark searches; 
  • IP Agreement review; and 
  • IP Application drafting and review. 

Those looking to bring their product or service to market or protect their idea can schedule free one-on-one consultations with the clinic by emailing ipinnovationclinic@osgoode.yorku.ca.