Support

Volt-Age offers a range of services that support researchers and students across their work. These include communications, EDI, events, facilitation and engagement, Intellectual Property & Commercialization (IP&C), as well as student recruitment and training.

Business development & partnerships

Volt-Age helps researchers* connect their work with external partners by supporting the development of strategic relationships across industry, government and the nonprofit sector.

Support includes: 

• Identifying potential partners aligned with research areas, technologies and project objectives
• Outreach support, including the development of messaging and partnership materials
• Facilitation of introductions and exploratory conversations with relevant organizations
• Guidance on collaboration pathways
• Ongoing support for partnership development and external engagement planning

*This support is intended for researchers who are interested in partnership opportunities but may not know how to approach potential collaborators or may have limited ressources to do so.

Communications

Communications support increases the visibility and reach of research and initiatives through strategic storytelling, messaging and digital engagement. 

Support includes: 

• Research features and impact stories 
• Social media promotion 
• Content development and messaging support 
• Announcements and media engagement 
• Knowledge mobilization materials 

Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) 

Volt-Age offers targeted EDI consultations to support equitable and rigorous research practices. Sessions help strengthen research design, improve engagement strategies and enhance accessibility and participation.

Support includes:

• One-on-one consultations on research design and team practices
• Document review, including recruitment materials, consent forms and communications
• Equity-informed language review for policy and standards outputs
• Guidance on collaboration with Indigenous partners
• Certified trainings such as OCAP® and GBA+ and facilitated team discussions to support the application of these methodologies to specific projects

Events 

The Knowledge Mobilization Events Support Program provides funding and strategic guidance for high-impact events that advance research beyond academia. 

Support within this program* includes: 

• Workshops, conferences, symposia and panel discussions 
• Community engagement activities aligned with the electrification theme 
• Funding determined case by case 
• Guidance on event coordination and communications strategy 
• Events held within 12 months of funding approval 

*Event support will not be provided outside of this initiative. 

Facilitation & engagement 

Volt-Age supports the design and delivery of inclusive, collaborative processes that bring together researchers, students, communities, partners, and collaborators to strengthen participation and project outcomes. 

Support includes: 

• Facilitation of workshops and co-creation working sessions 
• Co-design support for research, engagement and knowledge mobilization activities 
• Stakeholder mapping and engagement strategy development 
• Support for collaborative planning and consensus-building processes 
• Guidance on inclusive and accessible research, engagement and outreach practices 

Intellectual Property & Commercialization (IP&C)

Volt-Age assists researchers in protecting their ideas, by engaging early-on and providing guidance on pathways to commercialization. 

Support includes: 

• Ideas evaluation and Prior Art search and review 
• Assistance in idea disclosures 
• Recommendations and funding for IP filing process 
• Market intelligence on active research domains 
• Facilitation for collaborative partnerships 

Student recruitment

Volt-Age assists research teams in building strong and diverse groups by supporting the full recruitment process for MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral positions.

Support includes: 

• Preparing role descriptions aligned with project scope  
• Posting and promoting opportunities across platforms  
• Prescreening candidates through structured interviews  
• Designing and evaluating technical screening tasks  
• Providing guidance on inclusive hiring practices 

Training 

Training supports researchers and students in developing cross-cutting skills that strengthen research excellence, communication, societal impact, and career readiness. 

Support includes: 

• Facilitated workshops on research design, academic writing training and research dissemination 
• Interactive sessions on communication, transdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement skills 
• Research-to-impact workshops exploring partnerships, policy, innovation and intellectual property 
• Bespoke support for career development, including goal-setting and professional skills 
• Guidance on advancing experiential learning through internships and applied projects