• Domain 1: Demographic and economic impacts of immigration and labour market integration
  
• Domain 2: Neighbourhood life, residential mobility and the management of community resources
  
• Domain 3: Education and training
  
• Domain 4: Health and social services, public safety, justice
  
• Domain 5: Linguistic and social integration
  
• Domain 6: Citizenship, culture and social climate

At the Montreal Centre, the strategic planning of research is based on the general plan which covers six years and was prepared in late 1995 for the purposes of setting up the Centre of Excellence. Project design is handled by Domain Committees where researchers and partners together develop a preliminary research plan based on the directions of the 1995 general plan and its criteria. Other factors considered include the emerging interests of researchers, the needs of partners and opportunities for funding and for comparative research arising from the broader Project context. Planning timelines vary but are essentially biennial. Research plans present research projects and priorities accompanied by a budget and indicate the strategic relevance of projects, as determined by consultations. These consultations are conducted with representatives of all levels of government, of NGOs and of the private sector.

During the development of research plans, Centre management (while respecting the independence of the Domain Committees) is in close contact with the Domain Coordinators to keep them informed about such issues as funding opportunities, community interests, and to relay information to partners. Most guidelines originate at joint meetings of the Orientation Committee and the Coordination Committee (the membership of these bodies is given in Appendix 4). Management also maintains ties with the Research Consultative Committee which was created by the Quebec Department of Citizen Relations and Immigration and is mandated to respond to developments in the Montreal Centre's research program and to seek new partnerships.

At the project approval stage, the research plans of each domain are submitted to the Orientation Committee. The Committee, in turn, makes comments and suggestions to the Domain Coordinator, who prepares the final version of the plan. Although nominally an advisory body, the Orientation Committee exercises significant influence on research plans. The Coordination Committee is responsible for examining and approving the final research plans proposed by the Domain Coordinators, after taking the advice of the Orientation Committee into account.

In addition to research activities within the domains, the Montreal Centre organized a strategic projects competition in 1997-1998. The aim of the competition was to provide more support for bigger cross-sectional projects, selected on the basis of priority themes jointly identified by researchers and partners.

The Montreal Centre's research planning, design and approval process is summarized in Table 4. Further information about the Centre can be found at http://im.metropolis. net.