What DORA means for SAIT
By signing DORA, SAIT affirms its commitment to assessing research quality and impact based on the value and contributions of the work itself, rather than relying on narrow or inappropriate metrics.
Developed in 2012, DORA is supported by tens of thousands of individuals and organizations worldwide. Its principles encourage institutions to recognize the diversity of scholarly outputs and impacts, including applied research, innovation, industry collaboration, community engagement, and knowledge mobilization.
These principles strongly align with SAIT’s applied research mission and its focus on solving real‑world challenges in partnership with industry and community.
As a DORA signatory, SAIT commits to:
- Evaluating research and scholarly activity on its own merits, rather than on journal-based metrics alone.
- Recognizing a broad range of research outputs, including applied projects, technical reports, creative works, prototypes, policy contributions, and industry and community outcomes.
- Valuing qualitative and contextual evidence of impact, such as influence on practice, policy, workforce development, sustainability, and societal benefit.
- Supporting transparent, equitable, and inclusive assessment practices across disciplines and roles.
SAIT’s approach to research and scholarly activity is already grounded in many of these principles. Signing DORA formalizes this commitment and provides a shared framework to guide ongoing conversations, policies, and practices related to research assessment.
Advancing applied research excellence
By aligning with DORA, SAIT strengthens its commitment to a research culture that:
- Supports diverse career pathways and contributions of faculty, staff, and students
- Encourages innovation, collaboration, and impact beyond academia
- Reflects SAIT’s values as a polytechnic institution focused on industry relevance and community benefit
- SAIT will continue to engage faculty, staff, and partners in advancing responsible research assessment practices that reflect the full scope and impact of research and scholarly activity undertaken at the institution.
Frequently asked questions
The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) is an international initiative that promotes responsible, fair, and inclusive approaches to evaluating research and scholarly activity. First developed in 2012, DORA encourages institutions to assess research based on its quality, significance, and impact, rather than relying heavily on journal-based metrics such as journal impact factors.
Today, DORA is supported by tens of thousands of researchers, institutions, funders, and organizations across disciplines and countries.
By signing DORA, SAIT is publicly affirming its commitment to responsible research assessment that reflects the institution’s applied, industry-focused research mission.
DORA aligns strongly with SAIT’s emphasis on:
- Applied research and innovation
- Industry and community collaboration
- Impact beyond academic publication
- Diverse forms of scholarly contribution
Becoming a DORA signatory formalizes values and practices that are already central to how research and scholarly activity are conducted and supported at SAIT.
DORA explicitly acknowledges that scholarly excellence takes many forms. This is particularly important in applied and polytechnic research environments, where impact may be demonstrated through:
- Industry solutions and innovations
- Community-engaged research
- Technology development and commercialization
- Improvements to professional practice or policy
- Knowledge mobilization and workforce development
DORA provides a framework that better captures this breadth of contribution and impact.
Yes. DORA does not suggest that traditional scholarly outputs—such as peer-reviewed publications—are unimportant. Instead, it emphasizes that these outputs should be assessed in context, alongside other forms of contribution and evidence of impact.
The goal is balanced and meaningful assessment, not the exclusion of any particular type of output.
Signing DORA is both a commitment and an ongoing process. SAIT will continue to:
- Engage faculty, staff, and research leaders in conversations about responsible research assessment
- Align policies, practices, and guidance with DORA principles where appropriate
- Support researchers in clearly articulating the quality, relevance, and impact of their work
- Implementation will reflect SAIT’s institutional context and evolve through collaboration and continuous improvement.
DORA supports a research culture that:
- Recognizes diverse career paths and contributions
- Encourages innovation, collaboration, and real-world impact
- Reduces overreliance on narrow metrics that may disadvantage applied, community-engaged, or interdisciplinary work
This approach benefits both researchers and students by better reflecting the full value of scholarly and applied research activity.
DORA is supported by all major Canadian research funding agencies, including SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and Genome Canada. Many Canadian postsecondary institutions—such as the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University—are also signatories.
Curious about DORA?
Find out how DORA is transforming research assessment and read the full declaration to understand its principles and impact.
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SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.