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:

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Global Crisis of Social Reproduction and Rural Development: A Two-day Virtual Workshop Series by the Global Labour Research Centre (GLRC)

Academics and activists from Canada, India, United States, Norway, United Kingdom, Turkey and France recently came together at a SSHRC sponsored virtual workshop hosted by GLRC Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Coşku Çelik (Department of Political Science & Department of Social Science, LA&PS). Participating networks included La via Campesina, Amrita Bhomi Agroecology School, and Beyond Extraction Collective as well as an interdisciplinary community of researchers and graduate students from the rural development space.

Discussions at the workshop focused on building an improved understanding of social inequities in the agri-food sector, mobilization of research and knowledge around the impact of neoliberalism on rural livelihoods and identifying and improving survival strategies of rural populations through solidarity-based networks in diverse academic and non-academic fora.

“We organized this workshop to bring together scholars and activists of rural development whose research focuses on different geographies to share different practices, perspectives, and survival strategies of rural populations around the world. With the workshop, we aimed to foreground a significant perspective which has increasingly been adopted by scholars of agrarian political economy: the social reproduction approach.”

– Dr. Cosku Celik

Held on May 20 and 21, 2022, this workshop was supported by a SSHRC Connection grant. For more details, please visit the GLRC website or connect with Dr. Cosku Celik.

 

LA&PS Research Digest Transitioning to Sway

We’re excited to share that the next issue (July 4, 2022) onward this bi-weekly digest will be coming to you through Sway. All sections and features will carry over to the new version.

If you have questions about the new platform or would like to know more, please connect with Akanksha Babbar, Knowledge Mobilization Specialist.

Memo: Expanding course release support as Faculty commitments for new large grant applications

LA&PS Research Office is introducing a new process for requests from faculty seeking course release support in relation to major grant applications. Informed by principles of transparency and equity, this program would provide a clear framework for assessment and approval of a course release commitment as part of a grant application, contingent on the application’s success.

Eligibility: All full-time, probationary and tenured professorial stream faculty who are members of YUFA are eligible.

Not eligible: Dean / Associate Dean; CLA, postdoctoral fellows, postdoctoral visitors / visiting professors, teaching-stream faculty, CUPE contract faculty, retired faculty.

Transparency and Equity: A consistent process for assessing course release requests will be beneficial for both colleagues and the Dean’s Office by providing a clear framework for all. Any Faculty commitments for course release will be proportionate to the project scale as demonstrated in the full application draft. Ad-hoc or late requests for course release in relation to research grants that deviate from the process outlined below will not be considered.

Eligible programs:
• SSHRC Insight Grant.
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grant/SSHRC Partnership Grant.
• NSERC Discovery.
• NSERC CREATE.
• NSERC Alliance Grants.
• CIHR Project Grant.
• ORF-RE.
• New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration (NFRF-E).
• Tri-Agency ‘special call’ programs (amount requested $100,001 or more), e.g. SSHRC Race, Gender, Diversity Initiative.
• Major non-Tri Council opportunities (e.g. IDRC, Templeton) will be subject to approval.

Ineligible Programs:
• Internal Grants.
• SSHRC Insight Development Grant.
• 1-year small grants (less than $75,001), e.g. SSHRC Connection Grant; SSHRC Partnership Engage, CIHR Planning and Dissemination, among others.
• Fellowships.
• Award Nominations.
• Grants whose primary purpose is not research.

Eligible Project Roles: Recipients must have the role of Principal Investigator (or equivalent term). In a team grant, Co-Principal Investigator (or equivalent term) eligible only if LA&PS is lead Faculty for grant submission.

Not eligible: Co-Applicants and Collaborators (or equivalent term); Co-PI where LA&PS is not the lead Faculty for grant submission.

Process:
1. Expression of Interest: applicants must submit a “concept note” outlining the proposal of maximum 3 pages to lapsrsc@yorku.ca, along with an updated CV (no page limit), by a published deadline (see below). This step is mandatory for anyone seeking course release support, however, the level of course release will only be considered at the full application stage. Please refer to this suggested template for the Project Concept Note (MS Word).

2. Early Advice: LA&PS Research Office will provide “early advice” to applicants within 2 weeks of submission of EOI, including updated program information, connecting applicants to relevant resources for consideration, such as on EDI or KMb, and identifying early any potentially complex aspects to the proposal, e.g. documenting and designing new partnerships.

3. Full Draft: by next published date, applicants will provide the Research Office a “full” first draft, which should include drafts of all substantive sections, including the budget.

4. Peer Review: This is strongly recommended but not required. Research Office will identify and liaise with a suitable peer reviewer. Reviews will be double-blind and returned within 3 weeks.

5. Confirmation of Faculty contributions: on receipt of the peer review (if relevant) and in discussion with the applicant, the Dean’s Office will confirm any course release commitment as part of Faculty contributions. This will be documented in the ORS Checklist and the Proposal Budget as per our normal processes.

6. Finalization of application for submission to agency: Applicant works directly with Research Office to prepare proposal for internal and then agency submission by deadline.

7. Confirmation of support: Upon notice from the agency that applications are successful, PIs will have course release confirmed by the Dean’s Office.

Timelines will depend on institutional and agency deadlines for each program. Please refer to the detailed course release program memo (PDF) for timing in relation to eligible programs. For Grants with rolling (i.e. no specific) deadlines, the process for eligible programs is structured around “weeks before submission” (WBS). For Grants where deadlines may change from cycle to cycle in unpredictable ways (e.g. provincial grant programs), the process for eligible programs is structured around “weeks before submission” (WBS).

If you have questions, please direct them to Ravi de Costa, Associate Dean or David Cuff, Strategic Research and Partnerships, LA&PS.

Canada Foundation for Innovation – Innovation Fund (CFI IF) : Information Session

Come to meet faculty members who were former review committee members for an impromptu discussion session on the CFI IF application review process.

Presenter: Dr. Atef Mohany, Department Chair and Professor, Ontario Tech University

Registration link for CFI IF information session.

SSHRC Partnership Grant Information Session

Join Research Commons at a SSHRC Partnership Grant Information Session and learn the nuances of the grant and how to prepare yourself to write the application. There’s a lot of work that goes into this grant application, this workshop is a great place to start yours for this year’s cycle or one in the near future.

Date: June 23, 2022 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Presenters:

• Dr. Diana Frasca, SIRI Specialist, Office of Research Services
• Dr. Linda J. Peake, Professor, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, Director, The City Institute at York University (CITY)
• Dr. Valerie A. Preston, Professor Emeritus & Senior Scholar, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change

Register for SSHRC Partnership Grant Information Session.

Fellowship and College Membership in the Royal Society of Canada: Information Session

Join this workshop and learn alongside a specialist from the Strategic & institutional Research Initiative (SIRI) team and Fellows and College members of the Royal Society of Canada discuss what goes into a nomination package, what makes a package stand out from other nominees, and the career benefits these titles can bestow upon your future as a researcher.

When: June 28, 2022 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Presenters:

• Abby Vogus, SIRI Specialist, Office of Research Services
• Dr. Sheila Embleton, Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
• Dr. Jennifer Hyndman, Associate Vice-President Research, Professor, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change
• Dr. Marcel Martel, Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Avie Bennett Historica Canada Chair
• Dr. George Zhu, Academic Director, Research Commons, Professor, Lassonde School of Engineering

Register for Fellowship and College Membership in the Royal Society of Canada Information Session.

York Research Chair 2023 Information Session

The Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI) unit is hosting a York Research Chairs (YRC) Information Session in conjunction with the launch
of the 2022-23 competition. The YRC program mirrors and complements the Canada Research Chairs program and recognizes researchers who have demonstrated excellence in research and scholarship and have made, or are poised to make, substantial contributions to research leadership.

Led by Dr. Mark Roseman, Director of SIRI, the session will provide an overview of the nomination process. It will also highlight changes to this year’s competition and provide guidance for developing an effective nomination package. While the session is designed primarily for administrators of the program at the Faculty level, interested applicants are welcome to attend. Please note Faculties will undertake their own internal nomination processes outside of the VPRI process.

Presenters:

• Dr. Jennifer Steeves, Associate Vice-President Research
• Dr. Mark Roseman, Director, Strategic & Institutional Research Initiatives

Register for York Research Chair 2023 Information Session.

Ambe Daga Wiijiiwishin: An Indigenous Walk on Campus

Join CIKL during Indigenous History Month, for a walk to reflect on and explore Indigenous spaces on the York campus. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome. On this walk, we will listen to Indigenous voices and learn about Indigenous spaces at York. Some notable stops along the walk include Ahqahizu, Skennen’kó:wa Gamig, and the Centre for Indigenous Student Services. Rain or shine! Please dress for the weather.

Date: Wed, June 29^th

Time: 12-12:45PM

Starting/Ending point: Meet outside Vari Hall.

Kindly RSVP to Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Languages.

Internal process : Nominations to 2023 the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) was established in 1882 as the senior Canadian collegium of distinguished scholars, artists and scientists. The primary objective of the Society is to promote learning and research in the arts, the humanities and the natural and social sciences.

The Members of the College are Canadians and Permanent Residents who, at an early stage in their career, have demonstrated a high level of achievement. Membership is for seven (7) years. Up to 80 Members may be elected each year.

Eligibility

Candidates must be no more than 15 years from the conferral of the PhD or equivalent qualification. For the cohort of 2023, a candidate must have received his or her PhD or equivalent no earlier than January 1, 2008. The RSC will consider an exemption period of
up to three (3) years for those who have had a career interruption for the purpose of maternity, childrearing, illness, or health-related family responsibilities. Where there are questions of equivalence eligibility, the Honorary Secretary will provide the conclusive
determination on behalf of the RSC Council. Nominees may be re-nominated any number of times, provided they still meet the eligibility requirements.

The RSC’s deadline for nominations is anticipated to be December 1, 2022.

Internal Nomination & Review Process

Please review the VPRI memo for 2023 RSC College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists (PDF).

Nominations to the College can be initiated by Members of the College (Members), Fellows of the RSC (Fellows), and Institutional Members (IMs) of the RSC. In all cases, candidates are encouraged to take advantage of available University resources and to seek peer advice throughout the development of their nomination file.

York encourages nominations from diversity candidates to reflect the diversity of our faculty complement.

Direct Member and Fellow Nomination

Individuals may be nominated by a Member of the College or Fellow of the Society, who need not be from York University. This nomination process does not require a York University internal selection process, although support may be available.

Important Considerations for Direct Member and Fellow Nominations

1. The Primary Nominator need not be from the same field as the nominee.
2. There is no limit to the number of nominations put forward by Members or Fellows.
3. We encourage Direct Member and Fellow Nominations, as we see higher success rates when Fellow or Members are directly involved in the nomination.
4. We encourage Faculties to share the names of these nominees with the Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI) team, which can provide ad hoc support if needed.
5. York nominees using the Direct Member/Fellow route may also access peer review from the Major Awards Advisory Committee. To do so, they must notify their Faculty Research Office and Abby Vogus (avogus@yorku.ca) of their interest by August 15 and submit their draft materials for review by September
6. See step 2 in the Institutional Nomination process for materials to be submitted.

Institutional Nomination from York University

As an Institutional Member of the RSC, the President on behalf of York University may nominate individuals for membership in the College. For such institutional nominations only, the process to identify and support these nominees is managed by the Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI) team and includes a review of internal nominations by the Major Awards Advisory Committee (MAAC).

The institutional nomination process is as follows:

1. Faculties notify the Office of Research Services of their intent to put forward institutional nominations. Faculties are asked to email SIRI Specialist Abby Vogus with the name(s) of the candidate(s) no later than August 15. The SIRI Specialist can work with nominees prior to the August 15 internal deadline and is available to consult on potential nominations.

2. Internal nomination packages are due on September 6. Details on the contents of the package are available at: https://rsc-src.ca/en/college-members/college-nominations/components-nomination. Faculties are asked to email SIRI Specialist Abby Vogus the following components of a nomination, which will then be reviewed by MAAC:

a. A signed 1-page letter on faculty letterhead from the Dean or Associate Dean of Research endorsing the nomination(s). This document should inform the multi-disciplinary MAAC about the importance of the nominee’s field and demonstrate the nominee’s stature within it, rather than re-state information from the CV(s).
b. A candidate statement reflecting on how their work will contribute to the College during the seven-year term (max 500 words).
c. A draft of the Detailed Appraisal (1,200 words max).
d. The nominee’s current CV (10 pages max).
e. A written commitment of at least 2 referees to provide a letter of reference along with a bio of each potential referee. An email from the referee will suffice (to be secured by nominee/Faculty Research Office).

3. MAAC will review internal nomination packages and provide feedback to nominees to ensure that nominations forwarded to the RSC are highly competitive.

4. Nominees will work with the SIRI Specialist and Faculty-based research support personnel (as appropriate) to prepare the full application package for submission. Completed nominations will likely include:

• A completed Nomination Form, which includes a 70-word citation.
• A cover letter from the primary nominator (i.e., the York University President – to be secured by SIRI).
• Two signed reference letters on letterhead from a person of authority on the candidate and their field, along with a brief biography of the referee (to be secured by SIRI).
• A candidate statement reflecting on how their work will contribute to the College during the seven-year term (500 words).
• Detailed appraisal (1200 words).
• The nominee’s current CV (10 pages max).

Relevant Deadlines

• August 15: Faculties notify ORS of their intent to submit a nomination
• September 6: Internal nomination files due to SIRI
• Mid-September: MAAC Review
• Mid-September: VPRI feedback to nominees
• November 23: Full application due to SIRI
• December 1: RSC electronic submission deadline
• July 2023 (TBC) Elected candidates notified by RSC

If you’re interested in submitting a nomination, please reach out to Isabella Huberman, Research Facilitator, LA&PS Research Office.

2023 Nominations for Royal Society of Canada (RSC) Fellows

The fellowship of the RSC comprises distinguished scholars from all branches of learning who have made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life.

This year’s competition will officially launch in September 2022 and the following information is based on the last round of nominations. Requirements may change slightly from what is listed below; please verify prior to submission.

Eligibility

Fellows are those with exceptional and original publications, intellectual achievements, and creative activities. Their achievements are in the arts, the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences. They are either Canadian citizens or Canadian Permanent Residents for at least three years at their time of election.

York encourages nominations from diversity candidates to reflect the diversity of our faculty complement.

Nomination Process

Please review the VPRI memo for the nomination process for RSC Fellows(PDF).

Candidates must be nominated either directly by a current Fellow or by an Institutional Member of the RSC (i.e., a nomination package submitted by York University endorsed by the President). In either case, candidates are encouraged to take advantage of
available University resources and to seek peer advice throughout the development of their nomination file.

Note that nominations are valid for one year only.

Direct Fellow Nomination

Individuals may be nominated for a fellowship by a current Fellow of the Society, who need not be from York University. This route does not require York University’s nomination process or approvals, although support may be accessed.

Important Considerations for Direct Fellow Nominations:

• The Primary Nominator need not be from the same field as the nominee.
• There is no limit to the number of nominations put forward by Fellows of the
  Society.
• We encourage Direct Fellow Nominations, as success rates tend to be higher when current Fellows are actively engaged in the nomination process.
• We encourage Faculties to share the names of these nominees with the Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI) team, which can provide ad hoc support if needed.
• York nominees using the direct Fellow route may also access peer review from the Major Awards Advisory Committee. To do so, they must notify their Faculty Research Office and Abby Vogus (avogus@yorku.ca) of their interest by August 15 and submit their draft materials for review by September. See step 2 in the Institutional Nomination process for materials to be submitted.

Institutional Nomination from York University

As an Institutional Member of the RSC, the President on behalf of York University may nominate individuals for a fellowship. For such institutional nominations only, the process to identify and support these nominees is managed by the Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI) team and includes a review of internal nominations by the Major Awards Advisory Committee (MAAC).

The internal nomination, review and feedback process is designed to ensure that nominations forwarded to the RSC are highly competitive.

• The institutional nomination process is as follows:
  Faculties notify SIRI of their intent to put forward candidates for an institutionally-nominated RSC Fellowship. Faculties are asked to email SIRI Specialist Abby Vogus (avogus@yorku.ca) with the name(s) of the candidate(s) no later than August 15.
• Internal nomination packages are due September 6. Faculties are asked to email Abby Vogus (avogus@yorku.ca) the following, which will then be reviewed by the MAAC:
  a) Nominee’s current CV (50 pages max, including publications, key scholarly presentations, awards and distinctions and grants)
  b) A draft of the Detailed Appraisal (1,200 words max). Please see the Nomination Guide for a template https://rsc-src.ca/en/fellows/nominations-0.
  c) A written confirmation from at least 3 potential reference letter writers along with a short bio of the letter writers. An email confirmation is sufficient.
• The MAAC will review internal nomination packages and provide feedback to nominees to ensure that nominations forwarded to the RSC are highly competitive.
• Nominees will work with the SIRI Specialist and Faculty-based research support personnel (as appropriate) to prepare the full application package for submission, which includes:

1. Completed webform
2. Letter from the Primary Nominator (i.e., the President)
3. Two co-nominator letters, one of which must be from an existing Fellow (50 words max)
4. Short citation attesting to the significance of the nominee’s work (70 words max)
5. Detailed appraisal of the nominee’s scholarship or artistic achievements (1,200 words max)
6. Letters of reference (number varies based on discipline) (750 words max)
7. Short biographical note for each referee (250 words max)
8. Nominee’s curriculum vitae (50 pages max)

The new guide for preparing an RSC Fellowship nomination will be available shortly on the RSC website.

For more information and support please reach out to Isabella Huberman, Research Facilitator, LA&PS Research Office.

Notice: Electronic Submission of External Grants through Office of Research Services

Given the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, ORS is now accepting electronic submissions of research applications. If you have questions about this process please email the LA&PS Research Office. You can also access here a description of the external grants submission process and the two versions of the ORS checklist.

 

NSERC Webinars on Submitting a Notification of Intent to Apply – Discovery Grants Program

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). You will find below the pre-recorded videos as well as the dates for these upcoming live Q&A sessions.

Please view the pre-recorded videos prior to attending a live Q&A session, as the material presented in the videos will not be repeated.

In preparation, please also familiarize yourself with the following documents:

• Memo to Potential Applicants – Notification of Intent to Apply for a Discovery Grant – 2023 Competition
• Instructions for Completing the Notification of Intent to Apply for a Discovery Grant
• Canadian Common CV – How to Complete NSERC’s Version

Pre-registration is not required to attend the live Q&A sessions. The session will be open 15 minutes in advance for attendees to review existing questions and submit questions in advance.

Considering the high attendance to these webinars, NSERC staff may not have time to respond to all individual questions during the sessions. Any additional questions should be directed to our support team at NSERC Discovery.

Consult the Webinars page regularly to learn about upcoming information sessions.