In June 2021, TRANSFORM hosted its second Annual General Meeting virtually. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic it unfortunately was not possible to have this meeting in person – which is a shame as we all look forward to it each year! But nevertheless, we were determined to have a fulfilling and productive 2-day meeting to discuss all TRANSFORM related progress.
And to that end, to kick off Day 1 of the second Annual General Meeting, the University of Waterloo team opening the session noting exciting initiatives that they are rolling out this year – including the very first TRANSFORM Summer School, and the forthcoming Sustainability Summit – bringing together decision-makers, civil society organizations and small firms. Afterwards the session focussed primarily on Work Package 2 (SME Capacity Building) and Work Package 3 (SME transformational experimentation) updates. Here, the researchers discussed how capacity building can creatively target the wider SME ecosystem, what emerging pedagogical approaches can be deployed, and how we can more effectively track and evaluate progress. The researchers aimed to answer these questions through rigorous and lively discussion.
Our second session on Day 1 focussed on updates in Work Package 3. What does transformational experimentation look like? What parts of an SME does it tackle and does it relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How do we ensure meaningful and ongoing inclusion of marginalized perspectives, knowledge, and skillsets? Again, like the previous session this certainly yielded interesting topic points for future discussion.
On Day 2 of the AGM the researchers moved into new territory by briefly discussing Work Package 4 (designing a SME toolkit) and Work Package 5 (policy and governance analysis). The AGM finished with a lengthy and vibrant discussion about how the team views and aims to elevate the impact of TRANSFORM research. All researchers in their respective Hubs possess different strengths and avenues of targeting varying audiences, so there is significant potential here. The group are excited about disseminating results as the project moves forward through this year into the next!
A big thanks again to our current and new TRANSFORM researchers and staff who took the time out of their busy schedules to join us for this meeting. The current pandemic posses unprecedented challenges for everyone, and as always, your contributions to this project are deeply appreciated. We look forward to working with you in years to come!
