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About Us

Building a better future for academic research in Canada

Time for Change Canada is a research initiative dedicated to understanding and improving the academic experience. We gather real perspectives from researchers, librarians, and students to shape the conversations that matter.

Our Story 📖

Time for Change began in 2019 as a focused effort to listen to academics and understand the pressures they face every day. The founding team observed that while many organizations talked about reforming academic culture, very few actually measured what researchers themselves thought. That gap between policy discussions and lived experience became the motivation for our first survey.

Since then, we have grown from a small pilot with a few hundred respondents to a recognized annual program that reaches thousands of participants across more than 40 countries. In Canada, our work has been referenced by institutional review boards, academic libraries, and policy advisors seeking evidence on the state of research culture.

Our Toronto-based team collaborates with academic partners, independent researchers, and library networks to ensure that each edition of the survey reflects the most pressing concerns of the community. We remain committed to transparency: all survey data and reports are published openly, without paywalls or restrictions.

Team discussion around table with research documents and laptop in modern office

2019

Founded

Our Mission & Values 🎯

Everything we do is guided by a commitment to openness, fairness, and the belief that academic research thrives when the people behind it are supported and heard.

Transparency

We publish all survey data openly and make our methodology available for scrutiny. Every report, dataset, and finding can be accessed without barriers or cost, ensuring accountability at every step.

Equity

We strive to represent diverse voices across disciplines, career stages, and regions. We actively seek participation from underrepresented groups and report disaggregated data so that inequities become visible.

Evidence-Based

Our recommendations and reports are rooted in data, not opinion. We use rigorous survey design, follow established social research methods, and subject our work to external peer review before publication.

Collaboration

We work alongside universities, libraries, funding bodies, and individual researchers. Our partnerships strengthen the survey, expand its reach, and ensure that findings are used constructively by the people who can act on them.

The Team Behind the Research 👥

Our small but dedicated team brings together expertise in research methodology, academic publishing, data analysis, and science communication. Based in Toronto, we collaborate with advisors and partners across Canada and internationally.

Dr. Elaine Whitfield

Research Director

Elaine leads survey design and data analysis. With a background in higher education policy from the University of British Columbia, she brings over 12 years of experience studying academic culture and evaluation reform across Canadian institutions.

Marcus Leblanc

Communications Lead

Marcus manages report production, stakeholder engagement, and public communications. Previously a science journalist in Montreal, he ensures that complex survey findings are presented in clear, accessible language for diverse audiences.

Dr. Priya Sharma

Data Analyst & Methodologist

Priya oversees statistical analysis and data integrity for the survey program. Trained at McGill University in quantitative social sciences, she ensures that every published result meets the highest standards of accuracy and reproducibility.

Our Impact in Numbers 📈

7

Years of Research

9,200+

Total Respondents

42

Countries Represented

6

Published Reports

What Participants Say 💬

"The Time for Change survey gave me a space to express frustrations I had been carrying for years. Seeing the aggregated results validated my experience and showed me that institutional change is possible when backed by solid evidence."

Sarah M.

Associate Professor, Vancouver

"As a university librarian, I found the reports incredibly useful for advocating budget reforms within our institution. The data on open access attitudes was cited directly in our annual planning committee presentations."

David R.

Research Librarian, Ottawa

"Being a doctoral candidate, it was powerful to see that my concerns about evaluation metrics were shared by researchers at every career stage. The survey results became a conversation starter with my supervisor."

Amira K.

PhD Candidate, Toronto

Our Partners & Collaborators 🤝

We work alongside a network of academic institutions, library consortia, and research organizations across Canada. These partnerships help us reach a wide and representative group of respondents and ensure our findings are relevant to the people making decisions about research policy.

Canadian University Consortia

National Library Networks

Research Funding Bodies

International Academic Networks

Ready to Get Involved?

Whether you want to participate in our next survey, access previous reports, or discuss a potential collaboration, we would like to hear from you.

Contact Us View Latest Results

Important Disclaimer

The information on this website is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute professional, financial, legal, or academic advice. Survey results represent the opinions of respondents at the time of data collection and should not be interpreted as definitive assessments of any institution, publisher, or funding body. While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee that all information is complete or current. Users should exercise their own judgment when interpreting survey data.