Research Applications and Requests

Three researchers conducting an experiment on the rooftop farm at 288 Church St.

Research priorities overview

The TMU Urban Farm Living Lab’s (TMUFLL) research priorities were established in 2020 through a series of community consultations. This was achieved through two rounds of surveys and a roundtable event hosted in February 2022. Students, faculty, and staff were engaged across TMU’s disciplines and departments, along with external stakeholders from a range of sectors relating to rooftop farming, including:

farming organizations/projects (farmers, administrators, growers, etc.)
industry professionals (architects, developers, green roof companies, etc.)
member/volunteer organizations (non-profits, non-governmental organizations, etc.)
patrons (customers, program participants, donors, investors, etc.)
public sector (public health, government, university administrators, etc.)
researchers/educators

Through this process, more than 200 stakeholders contributed feedback that was analyzed to derive user-driven research needs in rooftop farming.

Research priorities

In a continued effort to align with the Urban Farm’s mission to build capacity for rooftop farming through production, research and engagement, the Living Lab is seeking research partnerships and projects that respond directly to these established priorities:

design and infrastructure
quantifying ecosystem services
financial sustainability
Indigenous wisdom
food justice
soil health
policy and incentives
system integration
operational models

Research project proposals

If you have a project proposal that responds to one or more of the research priorities outlined above, please complete the (google form) Living Lab Research Proposal Form (external link) . Submissions for research projects were accepted from February 1 to February 29, 2024.

The Living Lab is a collaborative research platform where members meet regularly to discuss project progress and to identify areas for support. If a research project proposal is approved, project members will become active members of the Living Lab and must attend an orientation and participate in a minimum of four meetings per year. Additionally, members must provide a Research Abstract upon acceptance and submit a Research Activity Report at the end of the year.

Details from the Research Abstract and Activity Report may be used on the Urban Farm website, in presentations, and on social media. Before submitting a project proposal, please familiarize yourself with the important dates listed on this page.

Complete the Living Lab Research Proposal Form

Other research requests

If you are a researcher who is interested in a particular set of data, an interview, or receiving an informational tour of the TMU Urban Farm, please complete the (google form) Information Tour/Interview/Data Request Form (external link) and a member of our staff will get back to you at our earliest convenience.

If you have any other comments, questions or concerns about the application process, please email the Living Lab’s research coordinator, Sharene Shafie, at sharene.shafie@torontomu.ca.

Important dates 2021

January 11	Open call for (google form) research partnership proposals (external link)
January 31	Deadline to submit research partnership proposals
February 1 - 7	Preliminary review of research proposals by Urban Farm operations team to identify issues related to safety, operations and infrastructure in alignment with Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Facilities Management and Development (FMD) standards
February 9 - 21	Research advisory committee reviews research proposals to assess alignment with Living Lab research priorities and generate recommendations
February 22 - 26	Management committee reviews research proposals based on recommendations made by the advisory committee
March 1	Communication goes out to all applicants about final decisions
March 1 - 14	Research coordinator obtains additional recommendations and required approvals from EHS, FMD and research ethics board for installation, maintenance and conduct, as identified by research advisory committee
March 15	Research coordinator leads orientation: researchers complete (google form) Liability Waiver (external link) , (google doc) Researcher Orientation (external link) , (google doc) Collaborative Research Agreement (external link) , (google doc) Urban Farm Safety and Wellbeing Manual (external link) and related activities prior to starting research
March 22	Living Lab kick-off meeting for all research partners to share proposed research activities
March 31	Researchers must share finalized abstracts to post to the Living Lab web page
April - October	Urban Farm growing season. Living Lab researchers commence ongoing access to the rooftop for equipment installation, research activities and data collection
May - October	Monthly Living Lab meetings with research assistants. Research assistant must attend a minimum of four meetings throughout the growing season
October 16	Criteria for call for partnership proposals is released
October 25 - 31	Researchers dismantle equipment and store indoors for winter, where necessary
November 1	Urban Farm’s field operations are concluded for the year
November 13	Final Living Lab meeting for researchers to share project reflections and deadline for researchers to submit Living Lab Research Activity Report