Travel Awards - Connected Minds

BASIC INFORMATION:

The Connected Minds Travel Award program will provide travel support for high-calibre scholars/artist, trainees and multi-sector partners doing work that is aligned with the Connected Minds mandate. The goal of the program is to foster interdisciplinary research across Connected Minds’ Expertise Pillars and to promote and expand long-term national and international collaborative relationships. Incoming scholars/trainees/multi-sector partners must be sponsored by a host at York or Queen’s University that is a Connected Minds member. Outgoing scholars must be a Connected Minds member working to develop or extend partnerships/collaborations nationally or internationally on research or creative projects that are aligned with the Connected Minds mandate.

AWARD INFORMATION & ELIGIBILITY:

Connected Minds will support travel costs for visiting scholars, students and fellows and multi-sector partners to/from external organizations. Funding is available for travel and accommodation on a cost-recovery basis for a visit of 1 to 6 months in duration. A travel duration of less than 1 month will be considered on a case-by-case basis (e.g., for family reasons). Subsequent visits more than 12 months apart will require a new application to the program. Multiple visits within a 12-month period must be specified in advance and are restricted to the funding limits allotted for a single award.

The adjudication process and post-award administration are carried out by the Connected Minds Partnerships Committee and the Connected Minds administrative staff with oversight from the Connected Minds Leadership Committee and Board of Directors. Any proposals addressing Indigeneity will be reviewed by the Indigenous Advisory Circle. Applicants should submit their application via links on the Connected Minds website. Adjudications will take place during regularly scheduled quarterly meetings of the Partnerships Committee.

At least 20% of these awards will be set aside for an Indigenous scholars/trainees or for travel related to projects that are substantially guided by and center Indigenous community priorities, as determined by the Connected Minds Indigenous Advisory Circle, and that meet the minimum requirements set for the award. To qualify for these designated travel awards, applicants must complete the voluntary self-identification form.

AWARD AMOUNT
Up to $10,000 per visit

APPLICATION DEADLINE
April 17, 2025
_{Travel must begin within 9-months of application deadline}

Click Here to Apply

Complete the Self-Identification Survey Here

Visiting Scholar: Incoming applicants must hold a faculty/research position. Outgoing York or Queen’s applicants must hold a faculty position and be a Connected Minds member. The applicant must be conducting work in an area of research or creative endeavour with a Connected Minds member that aligns with the Connected Minds mandate.

Visiting Fellow: Incoming applicants must hold a doctoral degree and must be employed as a Postdoctoral Fellow under a supervisor that is a faculty member at an external institution/organization. They must work on a project with a Connected Minds member. Outgoing postdoctoral applicants from York or Queen’s University must be supervised by a Connected Minds member. The applicant must be conducting work in alignment with the Connected Minds mandate.

Visiting Student: The applicant must be a graduate student at the Master’s or doctoral level. Incoming students must work on a project with a Connected Minds member. Outgoing students from York or Queen’s University must be supervised by a Connected Minds member. Both incoming and outgoing students must be conducting work in an area that aligns with the Connected Minds mandate.

Non-Academic Visitors: Connected Minds Travel Awards support visits by artists, community members and other multi-sector partners in support of research projects that advance the Connected Minds mandate. They also support travel for Indigenous Elders to visit York and Queen’s to provide guidance to the Connected Minds program.

External award recipients are encouraged to work with their hosts to become a secured partner/collaborator of the Connected Minds program. External visiting scholar award recipients will automatically become eligible for Connected Minds Affiliate membership, subject to approval by the leadership.

Accommodations (single standard or equivalent) for visiting researchers, including internet costs as provided through accommodation plan;
Air, train, bus or car travel, claimed at the lowest rate available and not to exceed full economy fare;
Travel cancellation insurance and seat reservation charges;
Travel health insurance for faculty and any members of the research team who do not receive any such benefits from their institution and/or other sources. UHIP at York/Queen’s University is an eligible expense;
Safety-related expenses for field work, such as protective gear, immunizations, etc.
Carbon offsets

We are committed to ensuring that all participants including those with disabilities can fully participate in our travel-related activities. Special considerations and associated costs will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Conference travel;
Meal per diems;
Commuting costs for faculty and members of the research team between their residence and place of employment, or between two places of employment;
Passport and immigration/visa fees;
Costs associated with thesis examination and defense, including external examiner costs;
Reimbursement for airfare purchased using personal frequent flyer points programs;
Any Supplementary fees required as a visitor to York or Queen’s University.

Applications will be adjudicated on a quarterly basis during the regularly scheduled meetings of the Partnerships Committee. Completed application packages will be circulated to the committee in advance of the meeting. Committee members will vote on each proposal, quorum is 51% of the committee members. The Indigenous Advisory Circle will review any applications that have applied for the Indigenous funding stream and any that include aspects with Indigenous Peoples, land or territories.

Applications will be adjudicated numerically initially, followed by committee consensus using the following 4 categories:

Relevance to Research Goals: 25%

How well does the proposed travel align with the overall research goals and objectives of Connected Minds?

Impact on Research Outcomes: 25%

Are there specific skills, knowledge, or experiences that the visitor will gain from the travel?
What specific outcomes or deliverables are expected because of the travel?

Collaboration and Networking: 25%

To what extent does the travel facilitate the building/strengthening of strategic partnerships for Connected Minds?

Budget & Timeline Justification: 25%

Is the budget for the proposed travel reasonable and justifiable in terms of the expected benefits and outcomes?
Is the proposed travel timeline feasible?

EXPECTATIONS

Visiting Research Scholars/Trainees will undertake outstanding and innovative scholarly or artistic research in collaboration with Connected Minds members;
Hosts of visiting scholars/trainees/non-academic visitors are expected to facilitate networking with Connected Minds members with common interests;
The Scholar/Trainee will regularly attend relevant Connected Minds seminars and meetings that occur during their visit;
CFREF and York or Queen’s University support must be acknowledged in any subsequent publication of the research, and a copy of the publication must be provided to the Connected Minds office;
Scholars/Trainees will submit a final report to the Operations Manager within 2 months after the visit.

APPLICATION

Submit an application through the online link provided above. Components include the following:

Applicant information;
Academic CV or non-academic resume;
Letter of support from a Connected Minds member;
For trainees, a letter of support from their supervisor at the external institution;
Project proposal (max 500 words);
Description on the relevance of the travel to the Connected Minds mandate (max 250 words);
Budget breakdown, including screenshots/quotes for airfare and accommodation;
Completed self-identification survey through the separate link provided on our website.

Host/partner organization and proposed project must be relevant to the Connected Minds mandate;
Outgoing Scholars must be members of Connected Minds, trainees must be supervised by a member;

The following criteria will be evaluated:

Fit of the proposed project with the Connected Minds mandate;
Whether the proposed visit develops a new relationship versus continuing an existing one;
External organization’s relevance to the proposed project;
How critical the visit is to research success (e.g., access to specialized research facilities;
Duration of visit;
Availability of research space for the project.