Towards a new architecture of knowledge: The office of community-based research at the University of Victoria

Abstract

This report reflects on the creation of the Office of Community-Based Research (OCBR) at the University of Victoria, outlining its establishment, guiding principles, key activities and the challenges it encounters. It places the Office within wider debates on knowledge mobilisation and community–university engagement, arguing against the notion of a separate “third mission” and instead positioning engagement as an integrating function across research, teaching and service. Drawing from institutional experience, partnership practices and network-building initiatives, the report reflects on structural and cultural challenges, including institutional recognition, sustainability and the politics of engaged scholarship. Within a broader context where knowledge has attracted significant social and economic investment, and universities are often regarded as societal repositories and producers of knowledge, the OCBR represents a distinct shift by foregrounding communities as producers and co-creators of knowledge.