June 30, 2020 Issue
The LA&PS Research Office publishes a bi-weekly Research Digest to keep faculty members informed about important research issues and opportunities.
If you or your unit is planning an event, a notice or a funding opportunity that you would like included in our Digest Newsletter, please send these to lapsrsc@yorku.ca.
In this issue:
Internal Notices
Pre-Announcement Reminder: 2020-21 York Research Chair LA&PS Internal Competition
Faculty Members are reminded that the LA&PS internal competition for selection as a nominee for a York Research Chair (YRC) will be launched in July, with an expected deadline date of 12 Noon, Monday, August 24. The LA&PS Major Awards Committee (MAC) assesses internal proposals for selection as one of LA&PS’ YRC nominees. Applicants who wish to submit a proposal for a YRC must first submit a short proposal to the LA&PS internal competition. Only those applicants who have been assessed by MAC and approved by the Dean will be able to submit a full proposal for a YRC.
Interested applicants are encouraged to review information from the previous internal competition. This is available on YU-Link on this page. Please use this information as a general guide. Information regarding guidelines, deadlines, application forms and other program requirements are subject to change with each annual competition. Faculty Members considering the submission of a YRC proposal are also encouraged to contact Ravi de Costa, Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Studies (adres@yorku.ca), or David Cuff, Director: Strategic Research & Partnerships (dcuff@yorku.ca).
COVID-19 and Ramping Up Research at York
VPRI has posted a page on its website that discusses the plans underway to re-establish access to York U’s research labs and facilities this summer. View the page here.
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships—Selection Process at York
The Faculty of Graduate Studies has issued details for the internal process at York in relation to the 2020-21 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition. The information can be found here. LAPS faculty members who are interested in sponsoring a Banting file should contact Kim McIntyre (kimmcint@yorku.ca) in FGS, as well as David Cuff (dcuff@yorku.ca) in LA&PS.
BOREALIS at the Robarts Centre
The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies encourages researchers at York to join its growing network of interdisciplinary northern researchers: BOREALIS. To learn more, visit this page on the Robarts Centre website. To join, contact Laura Taman at llt@yorku.ca.
VPRI Listservs for Tri-Council Information
To streamline dissemination of information regarding the Tri-Council agencies provided to York’s University Delegates, VPRI has recently created a listserv for SSHRC and NSERC in addition to the one it already had for CIHR. If you would like to request modifications or additions to you current listserv subscription (eg. to delete yourself from CIHR, or add yourself to NSERC or SSHRC), please complete this form.
Submission of External Grants through Office of Research Services
Given the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, ORS is now accepting electronic submission of research applications. A description of the submission process, and the two versions of the ORS checklist, can be found on this page. Please submit ORS Checklists and research applications to researchapps@yorku.ca.
Internal Grants
Research at York: Call for Fall/Winter 2020-21
Deadline: July 10, 2020
Student Financial Services is pleased to announce the call for submissions for the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 Research at York (RAY) program. Through the RAY Program, paid opportunities are created for eligible undergraduate students to participate in research projects with faculty members and fellow students.
All requests for RAY positions must be posted through the Career Centre’s online job posting system, Experience York. The deadline date for entering your job request(s) is July 10, 2020. Position decisions will be sent by email no later than the week of July 27, 2020. The required salary rate for RAY is between $16 and $23 per hour.
Instructions on how to post a job request through Experience York are available online here. A separate job posting must be submitted for each position you would like considered. The program allows for a maximum of 3 positions per full-time faculty member. Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be considered.
To be considered for this program, a RAY position must involve undergraduate students in research activities that will provide them with hands-on research experience and at the same time provide the faculty member with meaningful research support. RAY submissions are reviewed by the RAY Advisory Committee with the following considerations: Is the position appropriately geared to an undergraduate student? Will the proposed activities meaningfully engage students in learning about research? Is the student engaged in activities which contribute significantly to the proposed research project? Is training and support provided to the student in carrying out these research activities?
The job description(s) should not exceed 400 words and must include the following: 1) Nature of the research project; 2) Specific research activities the student(s) will be engaged in; 3) Type of research experience the student(s) will receive; 4) Type of training and support that will be provided to the student(s) in carrying out these research activities; and 5) The name of the supervising full-time faculty member.
Examples of suitable research activities include (but are not limited to) the following: Performing a literature search or bibliographical compilation; Understanding the difference between primary and secondary sources; Developing a compelling research proposal; Designing and trouble-shooting an experiment; Learning interview techniques or basic laboratory skills; Understanding data collection, visualization and analysis techniques; Applying statistical and error analyses, including through programming, and the importance of a control sample; Honing techniques in archival research, data mining and meta-analyses; Learning the dynamics associated with being part of a research team; and Enhancing communication skills – oral and written – including conference presentations and manuscripts.
Additional inquiries about the RAY program can be sent to raypost@yorku.ca.
2020 Canada-China Initiatives Fund
Deadline: July 22, 2020
The York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) invites applications from York University faculty and graduate students for the 2020 Canada-China Initiatives Fund call for proposals for virtual events and activities. This includes talks, workshop, seminars or related activities held between 1 August 2020 and 30 June 2021 to communicate with peers and/or wider publics and share knowledge with researchers elsewhere that are focused on CCIF themes.
York U-TD Community Engagement Centre (CEC) Community Engagement Catalyst Grants
Deadline: July 27, 2020
Value: One-time project start-up funding with most grants in the $5,000 range
Duration: Project completion by March 31, 2021
The York U-TD Community Engagement Centre (CEC) is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for the 2020/2021 Community Engagement Catalyst Grants. These grants are designed to support creative and innovative collaborations between community partners and York University. Details of this year’s competition can be found here.
SSHRC Exchange – Conference Grant Program
Deadline: August 4, 2020
To provide assistance for attendance at national and international scholarly conferences for which the applicant is giving a paper, making a poster presentation, or featured at a solo or 2-person opening of an exhibition, a principal screening, premier performance of dance, theatre or musical production. The application form can be found here (expect to be prompted for your Passport York login). Completed applications should be submitted via email to: Denise Jagdeosingh-Martinez at djagdeo@yorku.ca.
For a general listing of internal funding opportunities, visit here.
External Notices
NSERC Webinars: How to Submit a Notification of Intent to Apply
Due to COVID-19, NSERC is replacing live webinars with pre-recorded videos followed by live Q&A sessions. This series is meant to assist the research community on how to complete an application using the Research Portal and the NSERC Canadian Common CV (CCV). Visit here for full details.
CIHR Spring 2020 Project Grant Update
Adrian Mota, Associate Vice-President of Research Programs, has provided important information for Spring 2020 Project Grant applicants. Visit here. If you have questions, please contact: support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
CIHR Project Grant Webinars
CIHR will offer three “Ask Me Anything” sessions about its Project Grant program during the final weeks of June. Find the details here.
SSHRC Insight Grant: Change of Deadline in Fall 2020
SSHRC has announced that the agency deadline for the Insight Grant this fall will be October 1, 2020. Please note that there will be internal deadlines to be met in advance of the agency deadline. If you are interested in applying for a SSHRC Insight Grant this fall, please reach out, as soon as possible, to the staff member in the research unit providing pre-submission support for your unit. To determine who you should contact, look under the “Research Officer” sub-section on this page.
See the External Grants section of the Research Digest for more details about the Insight Grant competition.
Tri-Council Issues Updated Financial Guide
The Tri-Council has issued the updated financial guide which serves all three agencies: SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR. The guide can be found here.
NSERC Project Opportunities Related to COVID-19 Pandemic
NSERC now has listed on its website challenges and questions submitted by industry, not-for-profit and public-sector organizations. NSERC encourages university faculty to visit this page and review the opportunities.
Tri-Council and COVID-19 Updates
The Tri-Council agencies have each established dedicated webpages for COVID-19 updates: SSHRC; NSERC; and CIHR.
External Grants and Fellowships
SSHRC Connection Grant
Deadlines:
• Submission to ORS for technical review: July 17, 2020
• Submission to agency: August 4, 2020
Value: $7000 to $25,000 for events, and up to $50,000 for other outreach activities; higher amounts for outreach activities may be considered if well justified
Duration: 1 year
These grants support workshops, colloquiums, conferences, forums, summer institutes, or other events or outreach activities. To access an application form and full instructions, log into your SSHRC account. In most cases, the appropriate application to select is “Connection – Individual.”
SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant
Deadlines:
• Submission to ORS for technical review: September 1, 2020
• Submission to agency: September 15, 2020
Value: $7,000 to $25,000
Duration: 1 year
These grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that will inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported through Partnership Engage Grants are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. In addressing an organization-specific need, challenge and/or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and post-secondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.
To access an application form and full instructions, log into your SSHRC account.
SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants – COVID-19 Special Initiative
Deadlines:
• Submission to ORS for technical review: September 1, 2020
• Submission to agency: September 15, 2020
Value: $7,000 to $25,000
Duration: 1 year
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges globally. While much needed focus to date has been on developing and testing effective countermeasures to control the spread of the virus, examining the longer-term impacts of the pandemic—and the ensuing economic slowdown—on individuals, businesses and communities is just as important.
Through the June 15, 2020 and September 15, 2020 rounds of its Partnership Engage Grant competitions, SSHRC will invest up to $1.5 million in special initiative funding to COVID-19 related projects.
Note: SSHRC recently updated the eligibility section of this competition to allow researchers who have already submitted a PEG application in 2020 to be able to apply to the PEG COVID-19 Special Initiative.
SSHRC Insight Grant
Deadlines:
• Deadline to guarantee a full substantive review of draft application by LAPS pre-award staff member: August 24, 2020
• Verified application, final budget, and ORS checklist due at LAPS: September 29, 2020 by 9 am
• Agency Deadline: October 1, 2020
Value: $7,000 – $400,000
Duration: 2 to 5 years
Insight Grants support research projects proposed by scholars in the humanities or social sciences that are judged worthy of funding by their peers and/or other experts. Insight Grant research initiatives can be undertaken by an individual researcher or a team of researchers working in collaboration.
Applicants choose from one of two streams, depending on the amount of funding required. Both streams will be adjudicated by the same committees, and will receive the same rigorous level of merit review. The deadlines and application process are identical for both; however, the targeted success rate for Stream A is higher than for Stream B. Stream A is for budgets between $7000 and $100,000; Stream B is for budgets between $101,00 and $400,000. Application forms can be found by logging into your SSHRC account here, clicking on “Create New Form,” and selecting the Insight Grant from the list provided.
CIHR Funding Opportunities
A list of funding opportunities through CIHR can be found on this page of the agency’s website. Please be attentive to any COVID-19 update that appears as part of the posting for specific opportunities.
NSERC: Upcoming Notices of Intent to Apply
NOI Deadline: August 4, 2020, 8:00 pm ET
Researchers who intend to apply for a Discovery Grant, Subatomic Physics Discovery, Major Resources Support, or Category 2 or 3 Research Tools and Instruments in the 2021 competition must submit a Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI) by the deadline date of August 4, 2020, 8:00 p.m. (ET). NSERC will not accept any NOI after the deadline. In addition, NOIs do not need to come through ORS but should be submitted directly to NSERC.
Discovery Grant NOI now available in Research Portal.
Subatomic Physics NOI now available in the Research Portal.
Note: NSERC is working on a new format for hosting webinars to further assist researchers with the application process. Communication will be sent to the research community once the process and dates are finalized.
Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) COVID-19 Challenge
Deadlines:
• Final proposal and fully signed ORS Checklist to ORS: by 9:00 am, June 29, 2020
• Agency deadline: July 1, until 11:59 pm EST
Value: Maximum of $10K
The Department of National Defense and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) is inviting COVID-19 related proposals through its Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program. Applications must be relevant and align with the MINDS COVID-19 Challenge Questions.
Health Research Foundation of Innovative Medicines Canada Chair in Pandemic Preparedness Research
Deadline: July 8, 2020
Value: $500,000 over three years
To support the work of an early-career researcher (within 8 years from PhD) affiliated with a recognized Canadian academic institution through the creation of a research chair in pandemic preparedness. Innovative Medicines Canada recognizes the critical need to support research excellence and to help world-class scientists working on the discoveries and innovations that keep us and our communities healthy, and our economy thriving. The creation of a research chair dedicated to pandemic preparedness, as well as to the role of healthcare and the healthcare sector in sustaining and growing our economy, will contribute to helping Canada look ahead to the next public health crisis and ensure our country is well-prepared to effectively respond and recover.
If interested, please contact Abby Vogus, SIRI Specialist, at avogus@yorku.ca as soon as possible.
Workplace NL 2020 Research Initiatives Program
Deadlines: See ORS posting
Value: Up to $150K, with 20% overhead
Duration: 12 months
To promote and provide funding for workplace health and safety research to inform innovative, practical, and easy-to-implement solutions that support the prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses or support re-integration into the workplace, post-injury. Applications will be accepted for the following research topics: workplace safely culture; workplace violence prevention; fall prevention; occupational disease and exposure; serious injuries; prevention of musculoskeletal injuries; mental health issues; and other topics.
Fulbright: Awards for Canadian Scholars
Deadlines:
• Submission to ORS for technical review: October 30, 2020
• Submission to Agency: November 15, 2020
The Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program operates on the principle of reciprocal exchange and provides the opportunity for outstanding Canadian scholars to lecture and/or conduct research in the United States.
Traditional Awards: US$12,500 for one semester (4 months). These awards are field open and can be taken up at any university, think tank, or government agency in the United States.
Research Chairs Program: The award values range from US$25,000 to US$50,000 and from four to nine months.
Additional opportunities open to Canadian scholars, with alternative/rolling deadlines can be found on this page of the Fulbright Canada website.
