News from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research

Restructuring of International Activities in Research and Graduate Studies

Following a recommendation of the recent Report of the Cyclical Review on McGill International, McGill International is to be closed and its activities restructured.
MI has served us well. It was instrumental in the development of the University's capabilities in the realm of international research and graduate teaching. McGill is now recognized as one of the leaders in Canada in the international sphere: for that we owe much to those who, over the years, have built MI.

As a measure of our success, let us point out that, between June 1, 1994 and May 31, 1995, McGill International signed contracts worth $28.3 million. These contracts will, over their lifetime, generate overhead income of more than $2 million. By any standard, these are very significant numbers.

McGill is as committed as ever to international work. This commitment is found both in the institution and at the level of individual professors. In fact, it was one of the recommendations of the Cyclical Review Report that we not only continue to work with CIDA and IDRC, but broaden our scope to the European Union and to the developed countries of Asia.

In view of our success, why, then, should we want to go back to the drawing board? There are several reasons. First, we now have a community of McGill staff who have experience in international work; they are to be found throughout the University, but particularly in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Management and Medicine. It is now time to build a structure that recognizes the existence of all that experience and builds upon it. The second reason, as one would expect given the tenor of the times, is increased efficiency, trying to do what must be done with less.

From our own experience and the Cyclical Review Report, the objectives of a restructured operation will be:

1. To continue to act as the contact point for CIDA and other international agencies.
2. To continue to play a major role in contract negotiations and management. International contracts are normally larger and more complex than research contracts with industry; reporting standards are much higher than those to which most professors normally respond, and special expertise is required.
3. To extend activities significantly towards Europe and the developed countries of Asia, while maintaining our involvement with CIDA and other development agencies.
4. To make it possible for those who are not presently involved in international work to do so.
5. To increase the involvement of the McGill community in the development of policy and strategy, taking advantage of the expertise that now exists on campus.

The new structure is as follows:

1. The new office will be called the Office of International Research (its mandate will also cover graduate-level education).
2. Its Director will be a full-time person reporting to the Vice-Principal (Research), through the Associate Vice-Principal (Research). The principal role of the Director is to interact with outside agencies, market our capabilities and represent the University. He/she is also responsible for general dissemination of information within McGill, including the effective use of electronic media.
3. The OIR will have a total complement of three, two fewer than in MI. There will be an International Grants and Contracts Officer reporting to the Director. He/she shall be located within the Office of Technology Transfer, so as to profit from OTT expertise in the handling of contracts. There will be an Administrative Secretary who will report to the Director.
4. The Vice-Principal(Research) will set up the OIR Advisory Board, whose members will be drawn from the McGill community and from external agencies and/or companies involved in international work.

The purpose of this Board will be to set policy and strategy for the development of international activities at McGill. The Board will be chaired by the Vice-Principal(Research).

This structure uses our local expertise to a much greater degree than the current MI; in fact, it gives faculty the key role in the determination of objectives and strategy. It preserves the essential roles of MI, which are contact with external agencies and the handling of international grants and contracts.

Pierre Bélanger
Vice-Principal (Research) and Dean of Graduate Studies