“Meet the CEN” is a series that shines a spotlight on the dynamic individuals who make up the heart of UBC’s Community Engagement Network (CEN). As we continue to foster collaboration, learning, and community-building within the realm of community engagement at UBC, it’s our pleasure to share the stories and insights of those who drive this essential work forward.
Meet Karen Chu!
Karen Chu is the Innovation Partnerships Manager at UBC’s Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. Karen plays an important role at UBC, facilitating meaningful connections between researchers and all sorts of organizations to tackle challenges and find solutions to societal issues. In this interview, Karen shares her approach to identifying mutual goals, highlights a collaboration that advanced research on kinship care in British Columbia, and offers practical advice for building partnerships that deliver tangible benefits for both community partners and the university.
Dive into Karen’s interview, available in both video and written formats below.
How do you support community engagement at UBC?
My job is to connect UBC researchers with individuals or organizations outside the university who need academic research expertise. My main focus is on research and translating it into societal or business impact. These partnerships can take many forms—collaborations with other universities, large funding initiatives with industry to address technical or business challenges, or working with nonprofits seeking knowledge to advance their work.
Our team of four is dedicated to connecting anyone at the university with the academic research expertise they need. When potential partners from the community and university researchers find mutual benefits, the outcomes can be highly impactful. Researchers gain the opportunity to tackle real-world problems, test their hypotheses, or expand their research programs.
At the same time, community partners benefit from access to research expertise, which helps them generate the knowledge they need to plan, optimize, and elevate their work.
Are there any resources community partners might want to know about?
There are two key resources available for community partners exploring collaborations with the university.
The first is for community partners who aren’t sure if anyone at the university is interested in their specific problem or area of focus. The UBC Expert’s Guide, hosted by UBC News, is an excellent online resource. It allows you to search by keyword to find experts who may be able to apply their research to your organization’s needs. Whether it’s a topic on Earth or, in the case of astrophysics, across the universe, you can simply type in your keywords to discover potential collaborators.
The second area is funding. Community partners with limited or no financial resources to support research projects can explore two funding options:
Mitacs: A federal funding initiative that operates on a matching model. Mitacs supports student research projects for both industry and nonprofits, offering remarkable flexibility in timelines to accommodate varying needs.
The CUES Fund (Community University Engagement Support Fund): Managed by the Community Engagement office, this fund provides grants specifically designed to support partnerships between community organizations and the university.
Can you share a memorable example of community example success that you’ve been a part of?
Last year, I was thrilled to facilitate a connection between Shari Monsma, director of Fairness for Children Raised by Relatives, and Dr. Barbara Lee at UBC’s School of Social Work. After initial meetings to align Fairness’ research needs and key questions with Barbara and her team, including the Fairness Board, Barbara assembled a group of Master of Social Work students to tackle the issue.
Barbara also secured funding from the Ministry of Child and Family Development, which was fantastic in itself—but the story didn’t end there. The team produced their first dataset, and Barbara applied for and was awarded a UBC CUES grant. This grant expanded the scope of the project, enabling even greater impact.
The results were remarkable. Fairness, through Shari’s leadership, received a comprehensive report on the state of kinship care in British Columbia. Barbara’s students gained hands-on experience with a real-world problem, sharpening their research skills and deepening their understanding. And the Ministry of Child and Family Development, having funded the initial work, now has a valuable report identifying gaps for children who fall outside the foster care system.
What advice do you have for others who want to do community engagement?
UBC and other universities have so much to offer when it comes to community partnerships—not just in research. It’s important to start those initial conversations and remain open to having second and third discussions. These dialogues are key to helping community partners identify and define their knowledge gaps and finding mutual alignment for collaboration.
I truly believe there’s no area of the university that couldn’t engage with community partners in some way. These relationships often yield significant benefits for both sides, creating opportunities for growth, learning, and shared impact.
Connect with Karen
Karen is happy to chat about research, and to help connect you with the innovation system or somebody else within the university. You can reach Karen at karen.k.chu@ubc.ca.