LA&PS faculty members are reminded that a comprehensive list of internal research funding opportunities is available on our new website (see below). This list includes short descriptions of several individual programs operated by the Dean’s Office as well as VPRI.

Internal funding opportunities can be accessed here.

SSHRC Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research – Connection Grants

• Value:
  – Events – $7,000 to $25,000
  – Outreach Activities – $7,000 to $50,000; higher amounts may be considered if well justified
• Duration:1 year
• Agency Deadline: February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1, 2021, at 12:00 PM (EST)

SSHRC announced the relaunching of the Connection Grants arm of the Initiative for Digital Citizen Research (IDCR), a joint initiative with the Department of Canadian Heritage (PCH). The IDCR aims to develop a better understanding of the impacts of online disinformation in Canada in order to better inform programs and policies, build Canada’s capacity to conduct research on – and related to – countering online disinformation and other related online harms, and help foster a community of researchers engaged with digital citizenship and online disinformation in Canada. It also aims to provide assistance to selected events and outreach activities for short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives.

Learn more about the description and submission instructions here.

Partnership Engage Grants (PEG)

• Value: $7,000 to $25,000
• Duration: 1 year
• Agency Deadline:  March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15, 2021, at 12:00 PM (EST)

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. To access an application form and full instructions, log into your SSHRC account.

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRA)

• Value: $6,000 plus organization contribution
• Duration: 16 consecutive weeks on a full-time basis.
• Deadline: Departments must submit their completed applications and transcripts, along with their rankings, to the Dean’s office by Friday, March 12, 2021, at 9:00 am (EST).

USRAs are meant to nurture undergraduate students’ interests and fully develop their potential for a research career in the natural sciences and engineering. They are also meant to encourage students to undertake graduate studies in these fields. An information session was held on Friday, 22 January 2021, at 9:00 am via zoom. for a copy of this webinar please contact Joanne Sequeira at adminres@yorku.ca. Find more information about York internal process in this memorandum from the Faculty of Science.

2021 competition for NSERC Synergy Awards for Innovation

The award recognizes examples of collaboration that stand as a model of effective partnerships between industry and universities. The nominated partnership must be in the natural sciences and/or engineering and be between a Canadian university professor, or group of professors, and a Canadian-based company or companies with commercial activities in Canada, such as R&D and/or manufacturing. Winners of the Synergy Awards must show effective use of human, technical and financial resources, leading to tangible commercial, social or environmental benefits with their industrial partners. Universities must demonstrate a sustained partnership. All institutional nominations will be reviewed by the Major Awards Advisory Committee (MAAC), which will make recommendations to VPRI on the nominations to be put forward by the university. Find more information about York internal process in this memorandum from Vice-President, Research & Innovation.

OCE/NSERC Partnership – Voucher for Innovation and Productivity (VIP) Program

• Value and Duration (1:1 cash matching from the Industry Partner is required):
  – NSERC and OCE can provide $20,000 – $30,000 each
  – Industry Partner provides $20,000 – $30,000 each (at least half must be spent at the academic institution)
• Deadlines: While OCE is accepting VIP applications on a rolling basis, they are encouraging applicants to submit by January 30, 2021, in order to be considered in the 2019-2020 fiscal year

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) recently announced a new partnership stream with the NSERC relating to the Voucher for Innovation and Productivity (VIP) Program.  This opportunity allows researchers to access NSERC (Alliance or Engage), Mitacs (Accelerate) and OCE (VIP) through a single application process.

For more information, view ORS posting here.

NSERC Call for Proposals: Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program

• Value and Duration: $1.65 Million over 6 years
• Agency Deadlines:
  – Phase 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)  – Due May 3, 2021
  – Phase 2: Full Application (by invitation only) – Due September 22, 2021

CREATE initiatives provide a value-added experience to the university training environment that includes the development of professional skills among students and postdoctoral fellows that complement their qualifications and technical skills, with a focus on providing an enriched training experience for graduate students. For examples of successful CREATE programs, please review the list of competition results. The CREATE program has permitted York University a yearly quota of 4 LOIs, and only those researchers selected by York can submit LOIs.

Researchers planning to submit an application to the CREATE program (Phase 1: Letter of Intent) must first submit an internal Notice of Intent (iNOI). The iNOIs are due no later than March 18, 2021, by email to Maheen Hasan (mhasan@yorku.ca).

NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research

• Value: up to $250,000
• Duration: up to 5 years
• Deadlines: Nominations are due April 1, 2021, 12:00 p.m. (EST)

Launched in 2020, the NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research is awarded annually to an individual or team whose outstanding research, conducted in Canada in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE), has led to exceptional benefits for Canadian society, environment and/or economy. Faculty members interested in applying should contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca. Find more information about York’s internal process in this memo from Vice-President Research & Innovation.

NSERC – Alliance Grants: Option 2

• Value: over $30,000 to $100,000 per year
• Duration: 1 to 5 years
• Deadline: No deadline

NSERC has released details about a new Alliance Option 2 two-pager that provides an overview of what the NSERC Alliance Option 2 funding is all about. The projects should aim to address and are driven by an unmet societal need, meaning that the results matter not just to the partner organizations but also to the public. Refer to the NSERC resources page to access the best practices webinar, a summary of NSERC requirements and more. The results should be broadly shared in various formats, allowing even non-specialists outside the project to understand and use the results. Faculty members interested in applying should contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca. Read the two-pager in English or in French here.

CIHR Call for Proposals: Health Research Training Platform

Value and Duration:
up to $400,000 per year for up to 6 years, for a total of $2,400,000 per grant.

Agency Deadlines:
Phase 1: Registration Deadline – Due April 21, 2021
Phase 2: Full Application – Due June 22, 2021

The Health Research Training Platform (HRTP) Pilot funding opportunity is intended to support the development of interdisciplinary, inter-jurisdictional, and intersectoral research training platforms that will attract a diverse cadre of high-calibre trainees and ECRs, and equip them with the skills required for academic and non-academic careers. These research training platform grants can be used to build capacity in established or emerging areas, within the scope of the research training areas identified in the funding pools outlined below. 

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. Due to the large volume of RFAs, the Office of Research Services has created a simplified Excel spreadsheet that will make it easier for researchers to locate the funding call that is most appropriate to their research area. You will be required to enter your Passport York user ID and password for YU Link to gain access to the spreadsheet. Alternatively, you may contact ORS at research@yorku.ca to send you the file as an attachment.

RSC Medals and Awards Competition

Deadline: March 31st, 2021

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has officially launched this year’s medal competition. This is an invitation to celebrate and acknowledge a peer, a colleague, or a leader by submitting a nomination for the 2021 Medals & Awards of the RSC.  Find more information about the RSC nomination process here. Faculty members interested in submitting an application should contact Ravi de Costa, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, at adres@yorku.ca.

Québec Secretariat for Canadian Relations – Support program for the Canadian Francophonie – Call for Projects Stream 3: Partnerships

• Value and Duration
  – Up to $20K for 1-year projects
  – Up to $40K for 2-year projects
  – Up to $60K for 3-year projects
• Deadline: March 3rd, 2021

The Québec Secretariat for Canadian Relations (SQRC) is launching its first call for 2021-2022. It will be accepting applications to its Stream 3: Partnership Program to carry out joint projects between organizations in Quebec and those in other provinces and territories in Canada.  The call opened on January 18, 2021. The objectives are to support annual projects that meet the needs of Francophone and Acadian communities in a given province or territory and to strengthen links between Quebec and the Francophone and Acadian communities in Canada.

Research Impact Canada (RIC) Engaged Scholarship Award for Graduate Students- 2021 Competition

• Value: $1500 cash award
• Deadline: February 15, 2021, 4:00 pm (EST)

This award recognizes graduate students that conduct research projects following engaged scholarship principles that lead to increased awareness of audiences beyond academia or changes in stakeholder actions, practices, guidelines or policies. This award contributes to the promotion and recognition of engaged scholarship, co-creation of knowledge, or knowledge translation among Canadian graduate students.

Mitacs Accelerate Program – Indigenous Call

• Value: Minimum of $10,000 for a 4-month project
• Duration: Minimum of 4 months
• Agency Deadline: Friday, January 29, 2021

Mitacs is currently seeking proposals for its Accelerate Program to support Indigenous businesses. Mitacs-Accelerate is a graduate research internship program that connects graduate students and post-docs in any discipline at Canadian Universities with companies through short to medium-term research projects which address a company’s need.

Mitacs Elevate Program – Call for Proposals

• Value: Elevate fellows receive:
  – $55,000 minimum annual stipend/salary (for fellowships awarded after April 1, 2018)
  – Training curriculum valued at $7,500 per year
  – Submission assistance, including application feedback, from Mitacs representatives
  – Certificate of completion after receipt of their exit survey and final report submission
• Duration: 2 years
• Agency Deadline: Wednesday, February 10, 2021, by 5:00 PM (PST)

Mitacs is currently seeking proposals for its Elevate Program, a postdoctoral fellowship with a customized research management training component. Fellows address complex challenges through An exclusive research management curriculum for postdoctoral fellows in any discipline; A minimum one-year research project (normally two years in duration) with a partner organization in need of high-level expertise; and a Partner Organization Business Case, developed to outline project objectives, risks, and stakeholder success criteria, and ensure project value.

If you are interested in applying to this competition, please contact Rachel Sung, Mitacs Business Development Specialist, at rsung@yorku.ca.

New international Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research

Agency Deadline: March 31, 2021

The Einstein Foundation in Berlin, Germany, has announced a new “Award for Promoting Quality in Research” in three categories: 1) Individual Award: Individual scientists or small teams of collaborating scientists can be nominated. The laureate will be awarded €200,000. 2) Institutional Award: Governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions, or other entities can apply or be nominated. The award-winning organization or institution will receive €200,000. If governmental organizations or institutions are the recipients of the award, they will not receive any funds in addition to the award itself. 3) Early Career Award: Early career researchers can submit a project proposal for an award of €100,000. Individual researchers from all fields, as well as collaborations, institutions, and organizations (NGO or governmental), are eligible to apply. Faculty members interested in applying should contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.