Western Innovation Fund (WIF)

Description: Funded projects are intended to support the cost of projects that will advance innovative research results towards application and commercialization.  Competitions are for one-time projects based on existing research initiatives and expected to be of short duration (6-12 months).

Amount: up to $50,000

Deadlines: Letter of Intent (LOI) & Report of Invention (ROI) due August 14, 2009
Full Application due September 15, 2009

Eligibility: The applicant must hold an academic appointment with a significant research component at UWO and must be eligible to hold a research account at UWO.

More Information & Application…

LOI and ROI must be accompanied by a Research Data Approval Form (RDAF) via ROLA.

SSHRC Research Development Initiatives

The application form for SSHRC’s Research Development Initiatives  is not yet available but if you are interested in this opportunity you may want to get started.

Deadlines:  
Faculty of Education Associate Dean’s Office: 1 week prior to agency deadline (2-3 weeks if you wish feedback on your application – submit to Karen Kueneman)
UWO Internal: no less than 3 days prior to agency deadline.
SSHRC: Oct 7, 2009 (for a decision end of February 2010)

Value: Up to $40,000 for up to 2 years

Description: The objective of the program is to support innovative research in its initial stages that will lead to the development of mature research projects. Proposals should not be full-fledged, stand-alone projects that aim at advanced research results. RDI RDI grants are not intended to support ongoing programs of research. Applicants must clearly distinguish their RDI project from previous or ongoing research. The proposal should address and develop a distinct, delimited research issue, present clearly defined plans for the research, and propose a budget that is fully justified by those plans.

The program supports research activities which can lead to the development of innovative programs of research. These activities may include intellectual exchanges, critical analyses, research collaboration and new ways of producing, structuring and mobilizing knowledge. In addition, the program encourages developmental activities that promote interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary research.

Past Grants…

More Information

Full Applications are to be processed through Research Development Services for institutional signatures, and are to be accompanied by a completed RDAF form (bearing applicant and Assoc. Dean Signatures).

SSHRC International Opportunties Fund

The application form and instructions for SSHRC’s International Opportunities Fund are not yet available but if you are interested in this opportunity you may want to get started.  

Deadlines:  
Faculty of Education Dean’s Office: 1 week prior to agency deadline (2-3 weeks if you wish feedback on your application – submit to Karen Kueneman)
Research Western: no less than 3 days prior to agency deadline.
SSHRC: November 6, 2009 (for a decision in March 2010)

Value:
Development Grants – Up to $25,000 for up to 1 year
Project Grants – Up to $75,000 for up to 1 year

Description: The International Opportunities Fund offers important opportunities to advance Canadian research and promote it internationally; supports collaborative research activities that further the goals of SSHRC’s international policy and strategy; and enables researchers to take advantage of international collaborative opportunities in a timely and flexible manner.

Development Grants support developmental activities—such as workshops, seminars, and planning meetings—that are expected to lead to significant international collaboration;

Project Grants help secure Canadian participation or leadership in current or planned international research initiatives or networks.

NOTE: The program is not intended to support activities that can be funded through other available SSHRC programs.

Full Applications are to be processed through Research Development Services for institutional signatures, and are to be accompanied by a completed RDAF form (bearing applicant and Associate Dean Signatures).

Application and instructions…

ROLA II to be Launched

ROLA II Launch… Coming Soon!

Research Development & Services has announced the launch of the much awaited ROLA enhancements.

Fully Automated Approval Routing And Notifications
ROLA will automatically notify your Chair and Dean as well as Co-Applicants (if required by the funding Sponsor) to log-in and complete their step in the authorization process. Individuals involved in the process can log-in at any time and see the status of a particular ROLA Proposal is in the approval process immediately after submission by the PI. No more guessing

Easier Access To Funding Opportunities
Individual users will be able to receive funding opportunity notifications directly by email. You will be able to define the specific disciplines that are appropriate to your research area. The choice as to the relevance of each call is left to the researcher. RD&S will continue to make a special effort to draw the attention of researchers to calls that are unique and interdisciplinary
 
Pre-Population Of Data/ More Control For Accuracy And Data Integrity
With the launch of ROLA II the research community will be able to access their electronic ROLA Proposal via the link on the Funding Opportunities page. In doing so, the ROLA Proposal will be pre-populated with much of the information needed for institutional approvals.

Ability For Secondary User To Complete Form On PI’s Behalf
ROLA will allow students and/or support staff to log-in with their own USERID and Password. The user will choose a PI and complete all of the information required in a ROLA Proposal through to submission. The PI will be notified by email that an individual other than themselves has submitted on their behalf and be directed to log-in and electronically “sign” the ROLA Proposal, thereby initiating the electronic routing process for institutional signatures. This process ensures greater security and privacy for all individuals

Ability For Deans/Chairs To View Details For Co-Applicant ROLA Proposals Associated With Their Department
Deans and Chairs of individuals listed as Co-PI’s on a ROLA Proposal will be able to view ROLA Proposal details within the system. If required by the Sponsor, Deans and Chairs of Co-PI’s will also be incorporated into the approval process for collection of signatures

More Than Just A Form
The enhancements to ROLA will eliminate the RDAF/RFRA forms and allow researchers to take advantage of a fully electronic environment when requesting institutional signatures for Sponsored funding. Planned future enhancements to ROLA include an updated Internal Research Granting Process and an environment for researchers to see an overview of their research funding world from application through all funding years in one location, assisting with reporting needs for the researcher as well as research administration.

Training
Information/Training Sessions are being offered by RD&S beginning Wednesday June 17with a Go-Live Date planned for mid August. Multiple sessions are offered to suit your schedule.

 Individuals may register on-line by visiting the RD&S website at: http://uwo.ca/research/rds/resource/rds_resources_registration.html

Training manuals will be made available on the RD&S website prior to launch for users who are looking for guidance through the process outside of work hours.

One-on-one assistance will be available both by phone at the ROLA Helpdesk or in person, contact the ROLA Helpdesk at 519-661-2111 x83136 or email rolahelp@uwo.ca to arrange a time.

Administration Support specific training will be offered in the Fall to assist staff with utilizing the much needed data that the ROLA enhancements will be able to provide.

A presentation will be arranged in our building if there is enough interest. Please contact Karen Kueneman, kueneman@uwo.ca if you are interested in attending.

CAMH Aboriginal Speaker Series

CAMH Aboriginal Speaker Series Presents:

Bill Hill

Aboriginal Education:
Inclusion with existing healthcare modalities

CAMH
Centre for Prevention Science
100 Collip Circle -Suite 100
(UWO Research Park)

Friday, June 19th 
12-1:30

Lunch will be provided.
There is no cost for this event.

Space is limited.
Please RSVP by emailing Katie Lizmore at Katie_lizmore@camh.net by Friday, June 12th.

Bill Hill has worked at Regional Mental Health Care London since 1982, originally as a nurse and now as a community-based social worker. He is also currently finishing a degree in Education at Brock University in the Native Teacher Education Program. Over the past ten years he has been a course instructor for Traditional Aboriginal Healing Methods. Bill has had the honour of speaking at different venues across Southwestern Ontario regarding Native mental health, Native education and it’s inclusion with existing healthcare/education modalities.

Non-Medical Research Ethics Board – Input Invited

In light of the pending changes to the Tri-Council Policy Statement and due to the simple passage of time, the Non-Medical Research Ethics Board (NMREB) is planning to undertake a revision of the current NMREB submission form.

The NMREB is seeking the input of the campus community; please feel free to offer your suggestions regarding what changes you would like to see in the new version of the form.

These suggestions may pertain to: 

• wording changes/edits to questions
• removal of certain questions
• addition of other questions
• clarification of questions
• relationships to published guidelines, etc.

While it is not likely that all suggestions will be  incorporated into the final product, the NMREB will certainly consider all submissions as it is hoped to make the new form as user-friendly as possible for researchers and research staff on campus.
 
To view the current form, please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/research/ethics/forms%20for%20all/NMREB/3F001%20NMREBFormJan2004.doc

Please forward your suggestions via email to ethics@uwo.ca by June 26, 2009.

Public Access Policy and Scholarship@Western

Some Canadian and American research funding agencies have implemented a public access policy which requires funded researchers to make their publications of research outcomes publicly available online within a specified period of time. Researchers at The University of Western Ontario who have received funding from such agencies can now make their research outcomes publicly available by depositing their publications to Scholarship@Western (http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/).

A new initiative from Western Libraries, Scholarship@Western collects, disseminates, archives, and preserves the intellectual outputs of the Western community. It aims to advance scholarship and disseminate knowledge by providing open online access to the academic achievements at Western. Its content is indexed by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Live. That makes the content much more visible and accessible, which in turn contributes to the impact and recognition of the authors concerned.

In short, Scholarship@Western offers a convenient avenue for researchers to comply with funding agencies’ public access policies and to share their research outcomes with peers around the world in a timely manner. It also helps enhance the international recognition of Western as a research-intensive university.

Should there be any questions about depositing content to Scholarship@Western or compliance with research funding agencies’ public access policies, Adrian Ho, Western’s Scholarly Communication Librarian, will be glad to provide assistance as appropriate. He can be reached by e-mail at adrian.ho@uwo.ca and by phone at (519) 661-2111 Ext. 87832.

Qatar Foundation – WISE Awards

Qatar Foundation has launched the first ever World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) AWARDS to recognise outstanding innovation in education.

Deadline: July 15, 2009 (results announced by August 31/09)

Amount: $20,000

Description: The WISE Awards support outstanding practice and achievements within the themes of Pluralism, Sustainability and Innovation in education. The WISE Awards will honour innovative, education-related projects and initiatives – tools, practices or processes – that have fostered distinctive cross-educational collaboration. Six awards will celebrate achievements from around the world across three categories:
Pluralism: “Educational activities that explicitly generate greater respect and understanding between communities, enhance diversity, or increase access and equality to education.” 
Sustainability: “Initiatives that offer new approaches to educational sustainability (through appropriate funding mechanisms, good governance, suitable accreditation and quality control structure) thereby contributing to the creation of sustainable global societies.”
Innovation: “Educational activities that use information and communication technologies and other innovative means to generate new and exciting opportunities for access and delivery of learning content that better enable people to face the diversity of today’s challenges.”

Applications (submitted in English) are welcome from all sectors of education and all types of organisations located anywhere in the world.

Applications and more information

Full Applications are to be processed through Research Development Services for institutional signatures, and are to be accompanied by a completed RDAF form (bearing applicant and Assoc. Dean Signatures).