UBRI is one of the “go to” centers for transdisciplinary global research and engagement within the State University of New York (SUNY) system. UBRI experts provide regional and national leadership in topical areas of strategic importance to the Canada-US relationship, ranging from trade, border policy and binational regional economies to Great Lakes transboundary water governance, wind energy policy and the Arctic. This work currently is recognized and respected by Canadian and US leadership across sectors at the regional, state, provincial and national levels as one of the most relevant and successful of its kind.

UBRI provides thought-leadership on issues impacting the binational Buffalo Niagara region and beyond. We work with scholars, policymakers, NGOs and private sector interests regionally, across Canada and the United States and globally to generate ideas to help solve some of the most pressing challenges facing society. Our global research program is about overcoming barriers to collaboration, publishing policy-relevant scholarship on global, transnational and binational challenges and solutions, and serving as a catalyst for change.

But we are more than research. We believe that a transdisciplinary, collaborative approach to problem-solving requires boots on the ground. We lead, co-create and participate in transboundary policy networks. We vision and execute strategies with partners. We convene stakeholders from across sectors and scales to build consensus and facilitate strategic decision-making on complex issues such as trade and water governance. And we engage with leadership from the public sector, private sector, non-profit and NGO worlds to shape agendas for improving the state of the world.