Category Archives: Faculty Research

Durham International Fellowships for Research & Enterprise (DIFeREns)

Leave a reply

Durham International Senior Fellowships

The EU-sponsored Durham International Fellowships for Research and Enterprise (DIFeREns) allows Durham University to gather together scholars, researchers, policy makers or practitioners from around the world and across the full spectrum of science, social science, arts and humanities to address themes of global significance in collaboration with Durham’s Research Institutes and researchers.

As part of the DIFeREns scheme Durham University recruits two types of Senior Fellow :

  • Senior Research Fellowships
  • Policy and Enterprise Fellowships

Applications are encouraged from individuals who wish to work on collaborative research projects with one of Durham University’s thematic Institutes or with the Durham University Business School (DUBS) :

Applications are also welcome from individuals wishing to collaborate on a research project associated with other research groups or Research Centres at Durham University.

Before applying, applicants must seek the agreement of a Durham academic to act as their host.

Deadline: The closing date for applications, for both categories of Fellowship: January 6,  2017.

For further details about both categories of Fellowship and how to apply please consult the ‘2017 Senior Fellowships – Further Particulars’ documents located on the Durham website

MITACS – Canadian Science Policy Fellowship Opportunity

Leave a reply

Timelines:
Call for host department projects: November 1, 2016–December 30, 2016
Call for fellow applicants: January 2017
Results announced: May 2017

About the fellowship:
MITACS is committed to fostering policy leadership among Canada’s researchers. They have worked closely with the academic research and policy communities to identify ways to integrate academic research and evidence-based policy-making at the federal level. MITACS and its partners are pleased to introduce the result of this collaboration, the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship.
The fellowship helps government develop policy with advice from respected professors and postdoctoral scholars and will strengthen ties between the public sector and academia. The first of its kind in Canada, the fellowship is offered in partnership with the University of Ottawa’s Institute for Science, Society and Policy (ISSP), Mitacs’ university partners, and the Government of Canada.
The inaugural cohort of 10–12 fellows will be matched with federal host departments or agencies in Ottawa, where they will contribute to policy design, implementation, and/or evaluation.  Matches will align each fellow’s background and expertise with the identified needs of the host department.
The fellowship aims to:

  • Form mutually beneficial and robust relationships between government decision-makers and academic researchers in support of pressing policy challenges in Canada
  • Enhance science communication, collaboration, and policy capacity within government departments and agencies
  • Develop a network of external expertise in Canadian science policy that complements existing capacity within the public service

Who is Eligible?
A fellowship applicant must:

  1. Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
  2. Hold a PhD in any academic discipline at the start of the fellowship
  3. Professors must be a current faculty member at a Canadian university
  4. Be able to participate for the full 12-month fellowship in Ottawa. Fellows who are employed must take a leave of absence or sabbatical for the entirety of the fellowship. Fellows are responsible for their own relocation costs and accommodations in Ottawa
  5. Meet any additional employment criteria required by the Government of Canada, including (but not limited to) security clearance, as dictated by each host department or agency
  6. The fellowship is open to applicants and host departments in any sector or discipline. We anticipate that fellowships will focus on areas including (but not limited to):

– Agriculture and agri-food
– Big data and analytics
– Economics
– Energy
– Environment and/or climate change
– Health
– Indigenous affairs
– Information and communications technology
– Natural resources
– Social development

How to Apply:
Fellowship applications will open in January 2017 and will require:

  1. Mitacs Science Policy Fellowship application form
  2. A cover letter detailing the applicant’s specific research expertise, career milestones, and other accomplishments that convey their suitability for the fellowship project(s) to which they are applying (max. one page)
  3. A C.V. or résumé (max. five pages)
  4. A statement of interest that explains why the applicant wants to participate in the fellowship and its anticipated impact on Canadian science policy (max. 1,500 words)
  5. Two letters of support from referees that describe the applicant’s potential to succeed in the fellowship.

Letters can accompany the application or be sent under separate cover, to policyfellowship(at)mitacs.ca.

The application should demonstrate the scientific and technical credentials of the applicant and highlight their ability to engage with non-scientific audiences through skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and leadership.

Anticipated Timeline:

  • November 1–December 30, 2016
    Call for government host department
  • January 17–March 24, 2017
    Call for fellow applicants
  • April and May 2017
    Application review; shortlists of candidates provided to host departments; candidate interviews with host departments
  • May 2017
    Selection and placements of fellows confirmed
  • June–August 2017
    Fellows arrange travel and accommodations and finalize fellowship arrangements with host departments
  • September 2017
    Mitacs hosts welcome and orientation session in Ottawa; fellows begin their placements
  • August 2018
    Fellowship concludes
    Any changes to these dates will be communicated to applicants through a mailing list and on this web page.

Remuneration for fellows:
Fellows will receive a stipend that reflects their qualifications and is commensurate with comparable full-time employment within the federal public service. Individual stipends may vary depending on the host department or agency.

Fellows’ roles and responsibilities:
Fellows will be considered full-time employees of their host departments or agencies. They will work with policy decision-makers and participate in related activities including:

  • Design, implementation, or evaluation of policy
  • Stakeholder meetings and/or consultation management
  • Parliamentary committee support
  • Senior decision-maker briefings
  • Preparation of briefing and speaking notes

Professional development:
Mitacs and ISSP will conduct professional development, skill-building, and networking events throughout the fellowship. These events will enhance the fellows’ knowledge and capabilities and foster interaction and collaborative connections. In addition to an inaugural orientation and a year-end closing session, events throughout the year will address the following topics:

  • Public policy
  • Public engagement
  • Legal concepts and policymaking
  • Media and public relations
  • Communicating scientific research
  • Management and leadership

Contact policyfellowship(at)mitacs.ca if you require more information. Click HERE for the MITACS opportunity page

See the following press release for this year’s fellows on SSHRC’s site: http://www.mitacs.ca/en/canadian-science-policy-fellowship

Dairy Farmers of Canada Research Grants 2016

Leave a reply

Please note: applicants interested in this opportunity will need to submit application materials through Western University (it is a NSERC-based application process).

Submission deadlines:
Dean’s (Western department): Contact your Faculty/Dept Research Officer for deadline details
Internal (Western RDS): November 24, 2016
Sponsor’s: December 1, 2016

Objectives of the Funding Program: Gain a better understanding of the specific role of dairy products in attaining and maintaining optimum health. Dairy Farmers Canada (DFC) considers applications that have nutritional and health implications for Canadian dairy products and are relevant to Canadian dairy farmers. DFC has a special interest in encouraging research that will help bring innovative and competitive dairy products with health benefits to the market. Of specific interest to DFC are applications which feature dairy products in their entirety, demonstrate technological innovation and utilize a multidisciplinary approach whenever possible, to address fundamental and applied research questions. Applied human randomized, controlled trials and in-vivo mechanistic studies are of particular interest.

The Letter of Intent is the first step in the application process. If approved, you will be invited to submit a Funding Application. Refer to the Guidelines for Grant Application, Research Funding Program of the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) for details and priorities.

Application Details: The Funding Application will be peer-reviewed using an evaluation system similar to those used by well-established granting agencies. Funding Applications will be considered according to their scientific merit, available research facilities and current research priorities of DFC. Funding Applications received from within Canada will be given primary consideration. Note: Approval of the Letter of Intent and/or the Funding Application does not per se ensure Study funding. Final approval lies with the discretion of DFC’s Board of Directors.

Upon approval of the Letter of Intent, DFC will provide a Funding Application to be completed and submitted to the Administrative Assistant, Research Funding Program of DFC. Specific guidelines regarding the completion of the Funding Application and additional information about the administration of the grant is found in the Sponsor’s guidelines. The Letter of Intent must be submitted on DFCs form, in three (3) copies (one original and 2 copies), as well as an electronic version submitted via email. A *PDF of the Letter of Intent form can be found on our website at: www.dairynutrition.ca/research-funding.

NOTE: All Letters of Intent and Full Applications must be processed through Research Development & Services for institutional approval. Requests for Institutional approvals should be received no less than 3 days prior to the posted Sponsor deadline. A ROLA Proposal (bearing applicant, Chair and Dean electronic approvals) is required for each submission.
Western Contacts: Kilianski,Louise
Hancock,Jennifer Anne
Sponsor Contacts: CHRISTIANE.DARAGON@DFC-PLC.CA
21 Florence Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
613 236-9997

 

 

 

University Affairs Magazine Articles of Interest

Leave a reply

Please find the following research-related articles featured in recent issues of University Affairs magazine:

“How research offices can help simplify your grant application process”  (Aug 2016 edition)

…and “Why the undergraduate years should include a research experience”  (Sept 2016 edition)

CIHR Online Learning Sessions – Fall 2016 Foundation & Project Grant Webinars

Leave a reply

6a3146dbdf81597192112ac03d77c7e4

CIHR Foundation Grant: 2016 Stage 1 and Project Grant 2016 Fall Applications Webinars

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is holding a series of Question & Answer webinars on the Foundation Grant: 2016 stage 1 application and the Project Grant Fall 2016 application starting the end of September 2016. These webinars allow both applicants and research administrators the opportunity to ask any outstanding questions they may have about the stage 1 application and a Project Grant application. In advance of the webinar, participants are invited to consult the Foundation Grant Program and Project Grant Fall 2016 web pages, which include updated supporting material and resources to help applicants successfully complete the applications.

Click here to access CIHR’s Facilitated Online Learning Session page to learn more about registering for these webinars, presented in English and French.

Brescia Fall 2016 Research Workshops

Leave a reply

blogphoto

The following research workshops will be offered in September at Brescia:

Research Grant Writing & Development Workshop

Date: Friday, September 23rd
Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
Location: Mother St. James Building, Room 302A

This workshop provides a high-level overview of planning, writing and developing research grant applications. Topics covered include:

  • Preparation and planning (proposal, timelines, budget, CCV, ethics etc)
  • Elements of successful proposals
  • Find the right sponsor – types of funding sources
  • Writing tips
  • Common flaws
  • Resources

Time will be set aside for specific questions. Please feel free to bring your lunch.

SSHRC Connection Grant Workshop

Date: Friday, September 30th
Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
Location: MSJ, Room 302A

Ready to mobilize your knowledge?  SSHRC’s Connection Grants support events and outreach activities geared toward short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives such as workshops, colloquiums, conferences, forums, summer institutes, etc. Connection Grant funding is for one year, and there are four application deadlines throughout the year: February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. This workshop provides a detailed overview of SSHRC’s Connection grant, and the essentials needed to apply for this opportunity.

Please contact Elizabeth Russell-Minda, Research Officer with questions about these workshops.

Open Access Publishing–Policies, Requirements and Avoiding the Predators

Leave a reply

It’s no secret, the word is out:  Academic publishing has hit the open access high-water mark. To emphasize the importance of providing open access to research findings, a Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications has been established, which outlines a set of policy requirements for those applying for, and receiving Tri-Council funding. The policy requires grant applicants to include their plans for open access publishing and dissemination, and data management. The Tri-Agency policy also requires grant holders to make their research findings accessible to all via open access journals and repositories once that research is funded. It’s a subject worth taking a closer look at, as the world of academic research and funding agencies are most certainly adopting open access plans and processes at a rapid pace. These developments have prompted researchers and authors to consider where and how to make their publications openly accessible. Reputable and distinguished open access journals are out there, but at the same time, there are tons more that appear to be legitimate journals, but upon closer inspection they aren’t worth your time or your money. The journals (open access or print) that fall in the latter category are often billed as predatory journals or vanity publishers. Their main intent is to publish as many articles and journals as they possibly can, and take the money and run. Often, the editorial boards are suspect and many don’t incorporate a true peer-review process, which can lead to all sorts of problems for the author down the road, including how these publications will look to the eyes of a future grant review panel.

One way to avoid the predatory publisher is to begin by conducting your own investigation and evaluation. Below you will find some resources compiled by Western Libraries that will help you make an informed decision on where to find the most reputable open access publisher.

The following questions can be used as guidelines when you are evaluating open access journals.

Publisher level
Is the publisher a member of Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA)?OASPA consists of a group of open access publishers, which are recognized for promoting and advocating open access publishing. Please see the list of OASPA members here. Newer publishers are not listed in OASPA, so it will be more appropriate to evaluate them based on their reputation in the related academic community.

Is the publisher a questionable open access publisher? Jeffrey Beall, an academic librarian at the University of Colorado Denver has compiled a list of predatory scholarly open access publishers in his blog. See his criteria for determining predatory open access publisher (2ndedition) here.

What is the mandate of the publisher of the journal? Is it for-profit or not-for-profit? The mandate of the publisher often can be found on their website. Not-for-profit publishers may have deeper commitment to open access, as they focus on scholarship and the dissemination of information rather than profit.

Journal level

Is the journal listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)? DOAJ has an established quality control process to ensure the quality of the journals being included. For the selection criteria, please refer to their webpage.

Does the journal have an impact factor? How high is the impact factor? For some newer open access journals, impact factor may not be available.

Are the peer review guidelines posted on the journal’s website? Is it a blind peer review (or anonymous peer review) in which the reviewers’ and author’s identities are kept secret from each other? Or is it an open peer review in which the identities of the reviewers are transparent to the author? Blind peer review is traditionally considered as the trademark for scientific publishing.

How qualified is the editorial board of the journal? You can check the editorial board members’ profiles if they are available on the journal’s site, or you can do some research on their research backgrounds on the Internet.

Is the journal indexed in major databases or index services? Check Ulrichs Global Serials Directory and sometimes the journal’s website for that information.

How many issues have been published since the journal started? It is useful to review the current and past issues of the journal to get a quick snapshot of the publication history of the journal.

Article level

Check the authors of several articles published in several issues. Are these articles written by a single author or different authors? This can help to see the pool of article submittors of the journal.

Scan through some articles published in several issues. Does the content make sense? Are the articles well-written?

If the author is listed with some affiliation, check the affiliation’s background. If it is an institution or a university, is the affiliated institution or university a reputable one? Does it have a program in the field the article is written about? Check their website for this kind of information.

Check the total cites (number of times being cited by others) for some articles published in several issues. Are these articles being cited reasonably frequently by others in the field, given the time since they were published? There are different places where you can check the total cites for articles. Web of Science has total cites if the article is indexed there. If you need help finding this information, you can contact a subject librarian.

Additional resources:

New Open-Access Social Science Research Archive

Leave a reply

A team of sociologists and librarians in partnership with the Center for Open Science, will develop a new open-access archive for social science research. The archive, called SocArXiv, will let anyone upload, read and share academic papers, according to the announcement. The announcement comes less than two months after the publishing giant Elsevier said it had acquired the Social Science Research Network, a move many open-access advocates criticized.

Source: Inside Higher Ed (July 12, 2016)

For more information, visit SocArXiv.org. Follow SocArXiv on Twitter or Facebook.

SSHRC Launches New Insight and Connection Achievement Reports

Leave a reply

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has been developing a new approach to end-of-grant reporting that is more user-friendly. As part of this process, they have created a revised and more concise achievement report. This replaces the existing final research and activity reports.

The information provided in these reports is of great value to SSHRC as it is a vital input to future planning and strategy setting. It also allows SSHRC to:

  • promote social sciences and humanities research, and show how it contributes to a better future for Canada and the world;
  • demonstrate the impact and outcomes of the research it funds, and how the findings from this research are used to improve our quality of life, enrich cultural expression, and drive prosperity, equity and sustainability through innovation;
  • monitor the performance of its funding opportunities;
  • report to government; and
  • provide input for decision-making on and the evaluation of funding opportunities.

Beginning June 6th, 2016, new achievement reports will be available to Insight Development Grant and Connection Grant recipients. They will be in a survey format on Fluidsurveys, a secure web platform, and must be submitted within six months of the end of the grant period.

To demonstrate the impact of SSHRC-funded research, the information from the reports may be shared with Parliament, the research community and the public. SSHRC is committed to the protection of the personal information under its control. Refer to the attached Achievement Report Privacy Notice for more information on how SSHRC collects, uses and discloses personal information.

SSHRC will notify grant recipients when the reports are available on the SSHRC website.

If you have any questions or comments, contact corporate-performance@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

MITACS Globalink Research Internship – Call for Submissions

Leave a reply

The call for 2017 Globalink Research Internship (GRI) faculty submissions is now open.
Professors can submit projects until June 16, 2016, at 5 p.m. PDT.

The Mitacs GRI is a competitive initiative for international undergraduates from Australia, Brazil, China, France, India, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. From May to September of each year, top-ranked applicants participate in a 12-week research internship under the supervision of Canadian university faculty members in a variety of academic disciplines, from science, engineering and mathematics to the humanities and social sciences.

Mitacs GRIs are currently available at over 45 universities across Canada, including Western University. For more information, please click on “Information for Students” tab on the MITACS site, to see the list of universities hosting Globalink interns in 2016.

For more information visit the MITACS website and review the FAQs below.

Western University contacts for more information:

Zach Armstrong | 226.378.3162 | zarmstrong(at)mitacs.ca
Katie Facecchia  | 519.560.1582 | kfacecchia(at)mitacs.ca

and

MITACS Globalink Facebook page

Professor FAQs
 I submitted a project proposal and was not matched with a Globalink Research Intern. Why did this happen?
Globalink Research Interns may not be matched with a project due to one of the following:

  • Students have not selected the project during the application process.
  • Students do not have the appropriate skill set or experience to ensure a successful match with their selected project(s).
  • The number of applicants exceeds the number of placements possible with available Globalink Research Internship funding.

Can I nominate a specific international student to become a Globalink Research Intern and work on my research project?
No. Globalink Research Internships are highly competitive.  Students must apply during the call for student applications. If eligible for the program, students are further evaluated and shortlisted. Students can be matched with any project that best suits their research interests and experience.

What countries does the Globalink Research Internship partner with?
For 2017, we accept student applications from select universities in 9 countries: Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.

Which disciplines is a Globalink Research Internship open to?
Globalink Research Internships are open to all academic disciplines including humanities, social sciences, and STEM disciplines.

I submitted a research project to Globalink for the summer of 2017. What is the status?
We are building the capacity to inform professors of the status of their application. Until this becomes available, please refer to our Globalink Cycle and Important Dates section.

Can I have more than one Globalink Research Intern placement per year?
Mitacs encourages professors to submit multiple projects, as this may increase the chance of a successful match. Placements are determined by student preference and as such, Mitacs cannot guarantee that projects will be matched until the final results are announced in January

Does the Globalink Research Internship provide funding for professors who host Globalink Research Interns?
No, we do not provide financial compensation to host faculty members. All funds are given to the student directly.

I’m a postdoctoral fellow.  Can I host a Globalink Research Intern?
In order to host a Globalink Research Intern, you must be an official faculty member at one of our participating institutions.

Can professors from any Canadian universities apply for Globalink Research Internships?
Yes, professors from all universities are eligible to apply.

Can a Globalink Research Intern conduct their research off campus?
Typically, Globalink Research Internships take place on the host institution’s campus.  Please contact the Globalink Research Internship team for special considerations at https://mitacs.freshdesk.com/