E. Martin Meunier’s term, as director of the Collège des chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone (CCRMF), the University’s college of chairs researching the Francophonie and Francophone issues, has been renewed for three years.
What roles do the CCRMF and its director play in Francophone research conducted at the University of Ottawa?
In 2019, the University created the Collège des chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone (CCRMF) as an initiative of the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, to renew and breathe life into the Research Chair in Canadian Francophonie program, which was created in 2003. Today, the CCRMF combines 10 research chairs that study a wide range of Francophone topics, including health, law, cultural transformations, heritage issues, immigration, and international relations. The College also boasts the first Senghor chair at the University.
The CCRMF promotes research initiatives and the dissemination of knowledge about the Francophonie. It also helps implement collaborative projects between researchers and Francophone communities in minority settings, and promotes projects with partner universities in Canada and abroad. It encourages and promotes academic publication in French and works with organizations that seek to build the Francophonie of today and tomorrow.
The director’s role involves calling upon and convening researchers within the network of Francophone chairholders and others who work on the Francophonie, here and elsewhere. The director also strives to make the CCRMF a dynamic force within the University, and together with the chairholders, to actively foster the excellence of Francophone research and the dissemination of science in French. The leadership of the CCRMF is also involved in several University projects and committees; this team defends the need for research in French and promotes its development wherever and whenever possible.
This was a great year for the CCRMF. Could you describe it for us?
Despite the difficulties related to the pandemic, the past two years have been productive for the CCRMF and its chairholders. We have a brilliant team of researchers who are very dynamic. The numbers speak for themselves: in one year, 22 new research grants were awarded, totalling nearly $3 million, of which about $1 million was granted to researchers holding the title of principal investigator. In 2020, CCRMF chairholders also edited two books and published five book chapters, 63 peer-reviewed articles, and 16 research papers or reports. They presented their work at 43 conferences, webinars, and other academic events. In addition, over the past few months, the CCRMF has organized 11 round tables, bringing together over 850 participants. These round tables provided opportunities to share research with over 50 different experts hailing from universities all across the Francophonie, including Canada, France, Belgium, Brazil, and Algeria. This testifies to the vitality of research in French and on the Francophonie at the University of Ottawa.
What’s next for the CCRMF?
We hope that a return to in-person meetings in the coming year will afford us opportunities for the new interactions needed to strengthen research with our Francophone partners in Ontario, in Canada, and around the world. We want to quickly renew strong ties with Francophone students and with all those who wish to promote their research and ideas in French. We also want to put more tools at the disposal of our chairholders so they can disseminate their latest research to a wider audience. This will mean not only playing a more active role on social media, but also hosting a number of podcasts.
The pandemic has also dampened international research. As soon as possible, we hope to engage the CCRMF and all its chairholders in projects involving the Francophonie internationally, most notably in Africa, and to participate in the internationalization of the University. As such, this year the CCRMF will welcome several researchers who will hold chairs in Francophone mobility. The arrival of Francophone researchers who are renowned experts in their fields plays an important role in expanding the CCRMF’s reputation. We will keep you informed of their arrival and of the activities we plan to host to disseminate their research and expertise.
In closing, we hope to pursue our growth so that we can expand the scope of our research and promote the inclusion of researchers from diverse backgrounds, notably by adding new research chairs to the CCRMF. We already know that in 2022, we will be adding a research chair specializing in education and Francophone communities in Ontario, a position that will need to be filled. Any potential candidates out there?
To view the rapport_annuel_ccrmf_2020-2021.pdf(only available in French)