RIC Award


The 2026 RIC Engaged Scholarship Award for Graduate Students is now OPEN!

Research Impact Canada (RIC) is excited to announce that applications for the 2026 RIC Engaged Scholarship Award are officially open! This annual award celebrates outstanding examples of collaborative, community-engaged research that create real-world impact across Canada and beyond.

The application deadline is March 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.

To check for eligibility, please view our list of eligible member institutions here.

This year (and moving forward), we’re broadening the invitation to non-university member organizations within the RIC Network.*

* Important Note: Graduate students affiliated with the non-university institutions in our network must be currently enrolled in or recently graduated within one year from a graduate program at one of RIC’s member universities to be eligible.

A magnifying glass held by a hand outdoors at sunset, focusing on exploration.

About Award

The Research Impact Canada Engaged Scholarship Award for Graduate Students (RIC Award) recognizes graduate students that conduct research projects following engaged scholarship principles. These principles lead to increased awareness of audiences beyond academia or changes in stakeholder actions, practices, guidelines or policies. This award recognizes engaged scholarship (“making research with the people who benefit from it”), co-creation of knowledge or integrated knowledge translation efforts among graduate students of our Canadian member institutions, regardless of discipline.

Join our mailing list to receive Research Impact Canada announcements in your inbox, including the call for applications for next year’s Research Impact Canada Engaged Scholarship Award.

RIC 2026 Engaged Scholarship Award Winner (Master’s Category): Emily Moore

About the Project Catching Dementia Early: Why Accessible Cognitive Screening Is a Matter of Equity As we get older, many of us notice subtle changes in our thinking, like forgetting a name or misplacing a set of keys. While our family doctors do an incredible job caring for us, a typical clinic visit is simply […]

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RIC 2026 Engaged Scholarship Award Winner (Doctorate Category): Margaret Hughes

About the Project Canada’s boreal forests are under increasing pressure. Industrial activities like logging and oil and gas development, combined with increasingly frequent and intense wildfires, are leading to habitat loss and changes in ways that negatively impact both wildlife and the northern communities that depend on these ecosystems for food, water, and cultural continuance. […]

Read More… from RIC 2026 Engaged Scholarship Award Winner (Doctorate Category): Margaret Hughes

2026 RIC Engaged Scholarship Award Winners

Research Impact Canada (RIC) is proud to announce this year’s 2026 Engaged Scholarship Award winners! These are four outstanding graduate scholars whose work exemplifies the spirit of engaged scholarship, collaborative research, and meaningful knowledge mobilization. Congratulations to our winners on this well-deserved recognition and for their contributions to engaged, impactful research across Canada. Stay tuned […]

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Applications Now Open: RIC 2026 Engaged Scholarship Award

Research Impact Canada (RIC) is pleased to open the call for applications for the 2026 Engaged Scholarship Award for Graduate Students – our annual recognition of exceptional community-engaged research that drives meaningful impact. This year (and moving forward), non-university member organizations in the RIC Network are invited to submit applications!* We’re excited to expand this […]

Read More… from Applications Now Open: RIC 2026 Engaged Scholarship Award

Nominations Open: Peter Levesque Award for Knowledge Mobilization Leadership 2026

Research Impact Canada is pleased to announce the Peter Levesque Award for Knowledge Mobilization Leadership 2026 is now open for nominations! This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing knowledge mobilization (KMb) as a profession and is named in honor of Peter Levesque, a pioneer in the field. Among many achievements in his career, […]

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Youth Leading Change: A New Volume on Youth, Peace and Security

Katrina Leclerc, one of this year’s 2025 RIC Engaged Scholarship Award recipients in the Doctorate category, co-edited a recently published book titled Youth Leading Change: Emerging Sites of Knowledge in Peace and Conflict (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025). In her own words, she kindly informed us that “the RIC award supported parts of my work and knowledge […]

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2025 RIC Engaged Scholarship Award Webinar

If you missed the live event or want to revisit the presentations, now is the perfect opportunity to watch the recording of the 2025 Research Impact Canada (RIC) Engaged Scholarship Award webinar and be inspired by these remarkable projects! This annual event shines a spotlight on exceptional scholars who are strengthening the connections between research […]

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Congratulations to the 2025 RIC Engaged Scholarship Award Winners!

The Research Impact Canada (RIC) Engaged Scholarship Award for Graduate Students recognizes graduate students who conduct research projects following engaged scholarship principles that lead to increased awareness of audiences beyond academia or changes in stakeholder actions, practices, guidelines, or policies. RIC is thrilled to announce this year’s RIC 2025 Engaged Scholarship Award for Graduate Students! […]

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RIC 2025 Engaged Scholarship Award Winner (Master’s Category): Sarah Demedeiros

Sarah Demedeiros was awarded the 2025 Research Impact Canada Engaged Scholarship Award for her project, Digital Storytelling for Intergenerational Health and Well-Being: A Decolonized Approach to Disseminating and Preserving Indigenous Elder Knowledge in Health Research. ABOUT PROJECT Background: Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have sustained cultural continuity, social cohesion, and intergenerational well-being through rich knowledge-sharing […]

Read More… from RIC 2025 Engaged Scholarship Award Winner (Master’s Category): Sarah Demedeiros