Knowledge Synthesis Grants – Skills and Work in the Digital Economy
Well-being, Health and Biomedical Discovery
Deadlines
Academic Unit: Inquire with your unit
Memorial Deadline: Friday 28th, August 2020
External Deadline: Thursday 3rd, September 2020
Description
Digital technologies are transforming the economy and revolutionizing the nature of work. Workers, employers and policy-makers are confronting new challenges and opportunities as emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), block chain, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and 3D printing are disrupting value chains and global markets.
For many workers and industries, the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath will significantly affect their transition to the digital economy. The pandemic has laid bare the economic and social vulnerabilities of gig workers and those employed in low-paying or unstable sectors; highlighted the implications of unequal access to technologies such as the internet; and drawn attention to the important community roles played by front-line service workers. The differentiated impacts of the pandemic on marginalized and underrepresented communities and individuals have led to wider conversations about systemic inequalities in the labour market.
At the same time, the need for social distancing has demonstrated the potential of digital solutions and remote work arrangements, revealing the many ways that technologies can complement and augment human labour. Work-from-home orders have also created space in which to question traditional policies and practices, such as set office hours and hierarchical management structures, opening the way for new, innovative ways of working.
The ongoing crisis has provided an opportunity to re-evaluate how we work; at a time when the survival of many industries is in doubt and hundreds of thousands of individuals face economic uncertainty, it may also become the principal driving force behind a more inclusive and equitable digital future.
| Value | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year |
| Application deadline | September 3, 2020 (8 p.m. eastern) |
| Results announced | December 2020 |
| Apply | Web CV, application and instructions |
Additional information can be found at the SSHRC website