About Centres & Institutes

This page describes the Centres and Institutes program. For information about the units themselves, visit the Research Facilities section.

Research Centres

Research Centres are formally designated, non-departmental units facilitating collaborative research mainly within a single faculty. They may include in their membership SFU researchers from outside of the home faculty. The activities of a Research Centre support the research mission of its home faculty and require the support of its home faculty dean.

The Research Centres are established under SFU Policy R40.01 and are under the direct authority of the faculty dean.

Research Institutes

Research Institutes are formally designated non-departmental units that facilitate extensive multi-faculty collaborative research. This research is often enhanced by research relationships with other universities, stakeholders (e.g., government, community or private sector affiliates) or shared resources and infrastructure. The activities of Research Institutes support the strategic research mission of the university.

Institutes which have university-wide mandate or a multi-university consortium are established under SFU Policy R40.01 and are under the direct authority of the Associate Vice-President, Research.