Faculty and students at the Centre for Social Impact are engaged in a number of research activities involving business ethics, social responsibility, social innovation, social enterprise and sustainability. Members of Smith’s CSI community publish and present their research at leading global forums, receive funding from major funding councils, and engage members of the community in their applied research.
The CSI will focus its research and collaboration on four main areas:
The Centre is committed to supporting Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization, and emphasizes the positive value that those principles bring to organizations, to Queen’s University and to our communities. The Centre hosts a research forum within the partnership with Catalyst Canada.
Catalyst-Smith Research PartnershipClimate Change and biodiversity loss are existential threats to humanity. For organizations, those trends present both massive challenges and tremendous opportunities. Transitioning toward sustainable economies requires systemic shifts in our value chains, changes in business practices as well as institutional change. The Centre supports research on circular business models, industry greening and the diffusion of sustainable business practices.
Tech for Good highlights the interaction between humans and technology, and supports the use of this technology to address social, economic, and environmental challenges to further humanity. The Centre aims to support Tech for Good through research and partnerships with industry. Current projects focus on mobile tech for good and healthcare applications of Artificial Intelligence.
Workforce AI: Supporting local economies and businessesDisruptions have the capacity to disturb regular business operations, potentially causing severe damage to individuals and organizations alike. Resilience is the ability of individuals, organizations and communities to adapt and bounce forward after these disruptions. The Centre aims to promote research that supports resilient organizations. Current projects focus on employee well-being, organizational adaptation and community economic resilience.
Assessing Regional Economic Resilience