Best of CASE District II Award
 

Institution: University of Toronto

Title of entry: Groundbreakers: The people behind the research

About this entry: In the fall of 2021, the University of Toronto (U of T) launched Groundbreakers: an exciting new series about the university’s Institutional Strategic Initiatives (ISI) program – a network that unites the brightest minds across faculty, sectors and industry to spark multidisciplinary solutions to today’s problems – and the research community that’s driving it.

Through news, social and video content, the multichannel series goes behind the scenes to showcase U of T’s research superstars driving life-changing discoveries in AI, infectious diseases, social justice and more. Video episodes feature reporter and producer, Ainka Jess, on location as she speaks with a diverse range of students and faculty on their interdisciplinary research projects, while news stories take a deeper dive into the new research coming out.

Why a spotlight on research? As Canada’s largest university, U of T is a globally top-ranked powerhouse in research and education. In light of that, University of Toronto Communications (UTC), in collaboration with university-wide stakeholder partners, wanted to celebrate the people and highlight the value U of T brings to drive life-changing research and innovation.

The Groundbreakers launch and video premiere was well-received by the broader U of T community and beyond – the series continues to be a hit among key academic, government and industry audiences. Our communications focused on richer, deeper storytelling that showcased our research community and featured their work in a highly engaging, accessible way.