The 4 Guiding Principles of the PWIAS Catalyst Program

The PWIAS Catalyst Program and associated activities are guided by 4 principles. The guiding principles were selected based on literature related to ethical collaborations and harm reduction in research. This literature raises reflexive and sometimes difficult questions that researchers from all disciplines are increasingly expected to consider in their research collaborations.

While there is no “one size fits all approach” to engaging with these principles, PWIAS has encouraged our cohorts and other participants to demonstrate thoughtful consideration about how these issues manifest in their discipline, area or field of study, and how these principles can inform the design, implementation, and knowledge mobilization of their work. 

The 4 Guiding Principles

Ethical Collaborations: Transdisciplinary, intergenerational, and community relationship building grounded on trust, respect, reciprocity, consent, and accountability.

Intellectual Depth: (self)Critical and relational rigour in moving beyond common patterns of simplistic solutions, paternalistic forms of engagements and ethnocentric ideals of sustainability, justice, and change.

Reparative Redistribution: Allocation of resources prioritising populations most affected by the Climate and Nature Emergency and precarity, and research areas of greatest urgency and impact guided by principles of reparation.

Engagement with the Indigenous Strategic Plan: Deepening understanding of settler responsibilities and supporting the aspirations of Indigenous scholars and communities.