Strategic guidelines and requirements for the RINSA Research Connector Hub. Snapshot July 2026. First-year window: July 2026 – June 2027.
Southern Alberta has a strong foundation of collaborative practices among post-secondary institutions, research centres, and community organizations. Challenges remain in streamlining engagement and reducing barriers to sustainable partnerships.
The University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge Polytechnic, and other regional stakeholders often face internal and systemic hurdles that limit research–industry collaboration. Recent developments with RINSA create a timely opportunity for the Research Connector Hub to position the region as a leader in connecting academic research with industry and community needs.
Operate an online HUB that connects researchers and industry partners in Southern Alberta through:
The Flask app is ahead of schedule and can support a University of Lethbridge pilot once infrastructure is ready. It is not yet open to other institutions.
Live intake is login-required. Field template may follow Polytechnic / RINSA Bridge forms.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Project title | Short descriptive name |
| Project description | Scope and goals |
| Researcher specialization | Expertise sought |
| Industry sector | e.g. agriculture, health, energy |
| Proposed timeline | Duration or milestones |
| TRL | 1–9 scale |
| Problem statement | Challenge to address |
| Entity type | Large industry / startup / private |
| Keywords | For deterministic matching |
Custom Flask + SQLAlchemy + Alembic application. Production target: DigitalOcean App Platform + Managed MySQL, provisioned by end of August 2026.
UI mockups in mockups.html are dated synthetic planning screens, not the live app. Data overview: schema.html.
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| July 2026 | MVP baseline documented; docs/web package refreshed |
| By Aug 31, 2026 | Provision server + managed MySQL; non-public staging |
| Sep–Oct 2026 | Migrations, SMTP, backups/restore, security & accessibility QA |
| Nov 2026 | RINSA / stakeholder demonstration; operator training |
| Dec 2026 – Mar 2027 | Staged ULethbridge pilot |
| Apr–Jun 2027 | Feedback-driven improvements; optional second institution; Year 1 report |
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Quality draft / imported profiles | 75–100 |
| Claimed / published profiles | 30–50 |
| Genuine intake submissions | 10–20 |
| Approved matches / partnerships | 3–8 |
| Trained operators | 2–4 |
| Structured feedback sessions | 4 |
| Additional PSI | 0–1 (written agreement required) |
Status labels updated July 2026 against the live application.
| Request | Status |
|---|---|
| Network exploration / embedding neighbourhood | Implemented |
| Admin researcher activity & profile visibility | Implemented |
| Profile section control | Implemented |
| Researcher collaboration / activity dashboard | Implemented |
| Partner request attachments; draft/resume | Implemented |
| Shared file storage | Partial — architecture + local storage; workspace/S3 pending |
| Message attachments | Planned |
| Researcher document library & AI suggestions | Partial / planned |
| Keywords & interests over time | Planned |
| External identity providers | Planned — design only |
Committee discussion items now live on the Questions page.
| Capability | Current posture |
|---|---|
| Deterministic matching | Implemented with explanations + admin review |
| Research Neighborhood embeddings | Implemented (hybrid when enabled) |
| Research Engine / optional provider calls | Implemented for admin review only |
| Automated institutional scraping | Planned / gated |
| ORCID / Scholar import | Planned |
| Unsupervised real-time profile updates | Not Year 1 |
| Owner | Task |
|---|---|
| Project team | Provision server + MySQL by Aug 31, 2026 |
| Project team | Complete MySQL migration, SMTP, backup/restore validation |
| Project team | Operator training + November demonstration |
| David | Contact Megan Croft about SVG |
| — | Arrange meeting with Brandy Old |
| Alex & Marta | Meet with Dr. Shapiro |