Institutional Strategic Initiatives (ISI) are cross-divisional research networks pursuing grand challenges and bold ideas that require true collaboration and integration across various disciplinary research and training approaches. The ISI portfolio seeds, launches, and supports these large-scale networks, all of which comprise scholars from multiple units and divisions with meaningful tri-campus representation; demonstrate the ability for high-impact scholarship and training; and have the potential to secure external funding and increase U of T’s national and international profile. The ISI program was established in 2019, but it has changed since July 2020 with the appointment of Ted Sargent as VPRI. Institutional Strategic Initiatives have developed two separate streams over the past year: the Institutional ISIs which are organized by the OVPRI and are tied to institutional priorities identified by senior academic leadership, and the Divisional ISIs, which are developed through a more localized, ‘bottom up’ process. In this reframing of the ISIs, the various divisions such as UTM play a much larger leadership role in supporting and shepherding the divisional ISIs. The divisional ISIs are reviewed and adjudicated by the RAB ISI Subcommittee, for which Elspeth Brown (AVPR) is the Co-Chair.

The ISIs that the OVPR is currently focusing on include the following Institutional ISIs: the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry (institutional ISI, UTM-led); Robotics; Data Sciences; and Neuroscience. In addition, the OVPR has been working with UTM faculty members on potential divisional ISIs on Science Communication and the Global Premodern. Divisional ISIs led by non-UTM faculty members, but with significant UTM engagement, have included thus far the Innovative Mobility Lab (funded Feb 2021) and the Queer and Trans Research Lab (proposal discontinued March 2021).