Supporting Indigenous partnerships through education and relationship building
UBC is pleased to partner with the Discovery Foundation to help strengthen the many ways that UBC researchers support Indigenous engagement activities, specifically around how to build sustainable relationships that generate positive impacts for the communities they aspire to serve. The Discovery Foundation has awarded funding that will enable Innovation UBC to build upon a range of activities focused on nurturing Indigenous partnerships and collaboration areas that are rooted in a deeper understanding Truth and Reconciliation. The core areas of focus for this funding include educational workshops around foundational understanding of Canada’s Indigenous history, relationship building through meaningful engagements, and exposure to new ways of thinking around how we address the climate emergency and its devastating impact on Indigenous communities.
Pathway to Truth and Reconciliation Resource Hub for UBC Ventures
We've compiled a list of UBC units, provincial/federal, educational, health, funding and environmental resources on Indigenous collaboration approaches intended to help educate members of UBC's venture and research communities on the historical relations between Canada and its Indigenous peoples.
The three components of this partnership include:
- Foundation Understanding of Truth and Reconciliation
Our program aims to assist ventures in developing a profound understanding of Truth and Reconciliation. We will provide foundation knowledge through a series of educational workshops, enabling entrepreneurs to integrate these principles into their company-building practices.
- Relationship Building with Indigenous Communities
We aim to establish collaborations between UBC scientist-entrepreneurs and Indigenous communities to co-identify critical climate issues to address, including sustainable energy, clean water, access to housing and more. By fostering collaboration and understanding, we aim to align the venture community with Indigenous perspectives, promoting sustainable and culturally sensitive practices.
Speaker Series with Indigenous Leaders and Entrepreneurs
To broaden perspectives and deepened historical knowledge, our speaker series is designed to diversify thinking within the entrepreneurial community, offering insights into historical contexts and future opportunities. By providing a platform for Indigenous voices, the program encourages dialogue, mutual understanding and exploration of collaboration possibilities.
About the Discovery Foundation
The goal of the Discovery Foundation initiative is to develop a critical foundational understanding of Truth and Reconciliation across Innovation UBC for existing members and incoming venture teams. We aim to build relationships with Indigenous communities by developing an engagement framework that seeks to establish collaborations between UBC scientist-entrepreneurs and Indigenous communities to co-identify critical climate issues to address.
