Launching HIBAR Research Buddies

HIBAR Research Buddies is an innovative student-led project at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to build a community of graduate students who care deeply about engaging directly, through their research, with experts working outside of academia. Community activities focus on impactful Highly Integrative Basic And Responsive (HIBAR) research projects, emphasizing the value of co-leadership and co-production by academics and external experts – a topic that is intrinsic to all HIBAR projects and typically not addressed in graduate student curriculum.

To learn more about the HIBAR Research Buddies, read the pilot project report here. 

Many graduate students are eager to make a societal impact through their research but struggle to find opportunities, partly due to the traditionally inward focus of academic research. This project seeks to build a supportive community for students, particularly for those who feel disconnected, helping them see how university research can address societal needs and fostering a greater sense of belonging within academia. Community activities emphasize the vital role that graduate students can take within HIBAR research teams, and highlight opportunities for students to participate in activities that will, over time, help to change the academic culture toward more societally-engaged research. 

HIBAR Research Buddies was launched in April 2023 as a 1-year pilot project, led by a team of nine graduate students from UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. Their efforts demonstrated that there is clear and significant interest among UBC graduate students across both campuses to belong to the HIBAR Research Buddies community.

In this webinar, project leaders shared lessons learned from this pilot project over the past year, as well as the resulting framework for future activities that can help to build a vibrant and engaged community over the next several years, both at UBC and beyond.