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What Is Uniweb
Uniweb is a research information management platform built by a company called Proximify. Saint Mary's University uses it as the single, primary home for faculty research profiles, replacing scattered individual pages that used to exist directly on the smu.ca website.
The platform serves three main purposes: hosting public-facing researcher profiles, storing structured CV data that can be exported in Canadian Common CV (CCV) format, and generating customized institutional reports (such as annual activity reports) from that same data.
Accessing Uniweb
Access to Uniweb is controlled and not automatically available to every smu.ca account holder.
- The platform URL is https://researchprofile.smu.ca/
- Login is handled through Microsoft Single Sign-On (SSO) via Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)
- Access is granted through membership in a security group called "Uniweb SSO"
- Not everyone with an smu.ca email address can log in automatically — group membership is required
How to Request Access
- Submit a ticket to the EIT Help Desk requesting Uniweb access.
- The Help Desk routes the ticket to the Systems Analyst queue in TeamDynamix.
- The Systems Analyst team confirms approval — approval must come from Adam Sarti or someone on his team.
- Once approved, the Systems Analyst team forwards the request to the Windows Admin team, who add the user to the Uniweb SSO group in Entra ID.
- The Systems Analyst team notifies the requester once access has been granted.
This process currently involves multiple hand-offs, and streamlining it is an identified area for future improvement.
Visibility Levels: Everyone, Network, and Hidden
Every profile, report, or other piece of content in Uniweb has a visibility setting that controls exactly who can see it. Uniweb's actual terminology for these three levels is Everyone, Network, and Hidden.
| Visibility Level |
Who Can See It |
| Everyone |
Fully public. Visible to anyone on the internet, including people with no Uniweb login at all (the Outsider View). |
| Network |
Internal only. Visible only to people logged into Uniweb with a valid SMU account — not visible to outside visitors. |
| Hidden |
Private. Visible only to system administrators; not shown to other logged-in users or to the public. |
A user can set this visibility at the profile level, and in many cases at the individual section or item level (e.g., a single publication or report), through the Visibility toggle shown on their profile or content page. For example, someone could set their overall profile to Network so only fellow logged-in SMU users can view it, while keeping it invisible to the general public.
Two Views of Uniweb: Outsider vs. Logged-In
Uniweb behaves differently depending on whether someone is logged in and what visibility level content has been set to.
- Outsider View (no login) — reachable at https://researchprofile.smu.ca/ by anyone, even without SMU credentials. Only content set to Everyone is visible here.
- Discovery Network (logged in) — reachable via the network icon in the top navigation once logged in with Microsoft SSO. This view shows everything set to Everyone plus everything set to Network. Content set to Hidden remains invisible even here.
In short, the Discovery Network is a superset of the Outsider View: any content visible to outsiders is also visible there, but logged-in users additionally see Network-level profiles, reports, and other items that outside visitors cannot access.
After Login: The Landing Page
Once a user logs in through Microsoft SSO, they arrive at a personal landing page showing their "Personal Content," which typically includes three key items:
- Web Profile — the editable public/private profile page
- Academic CV — the structured CV builder and CCV import/export tool
- Annual Report (or other custom reports) — pre-built reports pulling from the CV data
A "Recently Edited" section also shows items the user has worked on recently, and a left-side menu separates "Personal" content from "Reports."
Web Profile
The Web Profile is where individual faculty, librarians, and other members maintain their research identity within Uniweb. It includes sections such as Research Description, Biography, Cross/Joint Appointments, Affiliations, Current Teaching, Office Hours, Selected Degrees, Current Supervision, Academic Supervisors, Research Places, Alternative Contact Information, Media Links, Groups, Resources, Projects, Research Interests, Articles, and Publications.
Users edit each section individually, and an "Administration" panel on the right offers useful shortcuts:
- Fill from CV — auto-populates profile fields from CV data
- Embed in another page — allows profile content to be embedded elsewhere
- Generate CV and Reports — jumps directly to CV/report generation
- Backup CV data — exports a backup copy of entered CV data
There is also a Visibility toggle near the top of the page, set to Everyone, Network, or Hidden, which determines whether the profile appears in the Outsider View, only in the Discovery Network, or not at all outside of admin access.
Academic CV
The Academic CV section is where structured career and research data is entered — personal information, education, employment history, research funding, teaching activities, supervisory activities, memberships, and contributions (publications, presentations, artistic works, intellectual property, etc.).
- Import — CV data can be imported from a CCV (Canadian Common CV), the standard format used across Canadian government and granting-agency systems.
- Export — once data is entered, users can export it back into CCV-compatible format for use in grant applications or other external systems.
This CV data is the underlying source that feeds both the Web Profile ("Fill from CV") and custom reports like the Annual Report.
Annual Report and Custom Reporting
The Annual Report is a custom-built report developed specifically for Saint Mary's University by Proximify, based on detailed specifications the university provided — this was a lengthy and extensive setup process, not an out-of-the-box template.
- The report pulls directly from a user's CV data (teaching, scholarship, service, etc.), organized into numbered sections (e.g., Section 1: Personal and Contact Information, Section 2: Submission Information, Section 4: Teaching, Section 5: Scholarship, Section 6: Service).
- A filtering panel lets users set parameters before generating the report, including Recipient Name/Department fields (Chair, Dean, Associate Vice President Academic and Research) and a required date range (Start Date / End Date).
- Reports can be downloaded, printed, or refreshed, and there is a table-of-contents sidebar for quick navigation between sections.
- Like profiles, reports can also carry a visibility setting (Everyone, Network, or Hidden).
- Beyond the Annual Report, Uniweb supports building deeper custom reports, though SMU has not yet explored this capability beyond the annual report.
The Academic Hub (Institution-Wide Directory)
The Outsider View's directory is sometimes referred to as the "Academic Hub." It organizes content set to Everyone into categories such as People, Units, Articles, Equipment, Groups, and Projects. When viewed through the Discovery Network by a logged-in user, this same directory also surfaces Network-visibility content, giving internal users a fuller picture than outside visitors get.
Quick Reference for Support Staff
| Topic |
Key Fact |
| Vendor |
Proximify |
| Platform URL |
https://researchprofile.smu.ca/ |
| Login method |
Microsoft SSO (Entra ID) |
| Required group |
Uniweb SSO |
| Access request path |
Help Desk → Systems Analyst queue (TeamDynamix) → Approval (Adam Sarti or delegate) → Windows Admin team → User notified |
| Visibility levels |
Everyone (public), Network (logged-in SMU users only), Hidden (admins only) |
| Public-facing view |
Outsider View (no login required) — shows Everyone content only |
| Logged-in directory access |
Discovery Network icon (top nav) — shows Everyone + Network content |
| CV standard supported |
CCV (Canadian Common CV) — import and export |
| Custom report example |
Annual Report (built to SMU's specifications) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I log in to Uniweb?
Uniweb login requires membership in the Uniweb SSO security group in Entra ID (Microsoft SSO). Having an smu.ca email address alone does not grant access — you must have been specifically added to this group through the access request process below.
How do I request access to Uniweb?
Submit a ticket to the EIT Help Desk asking for Uniweb access. The Help Desk forwards it to the Systems Analyst queue in TeamDynamix, who confirm approval from Adam Sarti or someone on his team. Once approved, the Systems Analyst team asks the Windows Admin team to add you to the Uniweb SSO group, and you'll be notified once access is active.
What's the difference between Everyone, Network, and Hidden visibility?
Everyone means fully public — visible to anyone on the internet, even without a Uniweb login. Network means internal only — visible solely to people logged into Uniweb with a valid SMU account. Hidden means private — visible only to system administrators, not to other users or the public.
How do I make my profile public or private?
On your Web Profile page, use the Visibility toggle near the top of the page and choose Everyone, Network, or Hidden. This same setting can often be applied at the individual section level, not just to the whole profile.
Can I see other people's Network-only profiles if I'm logged in?
Yes. Once logged in, the Discovery Network shows all content set to Everyone plus all content set to Network, since you're recognized as an internal SMU user. Only Hidden content stays invisible to you.
Why does an outsider see less than I do when logged in?
Because the Outsider View (no login) only displays content set to Everyone. The Discovery Network, available once you're logged in, additionally shows Network-visibility content that outside visitors are never shown.
How do I import or export my CV?
From the Academic CV section, you can import existing data from a CCV (Canadian Common CV) file. Once your information is entered, you can export it back out in CCV-compatible format for grant applications or other systems.
How do I generate the Annual Report?
From your personal landing page or the Web Profile Administration panel, select Generate CV and Reports, then choose the Annual Report. You can filter it by recipient names/titles (Chair, Dean, Associate Vice President Academic and Research) and by a required Start Date and End Date before downloading or printing.
Who do I contact if my Annual Report data looks wrong?
The Annual Report pulls directly from your Academic CV entries, so first check that the relevant CV sections (teaching, scholarship, service, etc.) are complete and accurate. If the report still looks incorrect after that, submit a ticket to the EIT Help Desk for further investigation.