CIHR – Message to SSHRC Health Researchers

This message is from Pierre Chartrand, CIHR:

SSHRC Health Researchers: You can find acceptance, challenge and $$$ at CIHR

As you know, with Budget 2009, the Government of Canada announced changes to eliminate overlap between different research investment agencies. As such, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) stated that it would reduce the amount of funding it provided for health research that was eligible under the mandate of CIHR. In my previous message, CIHR encouraged health researchers previously supported by SSHRC to submit funding applications to CIHR.

Six months later, we have received very few applications by researchers from the social sciences and humanities community despite the fact that the CIHR Act provides CIHR with a wide-ranging mandate which includes research on social determinants of health.

CIHR is deeply interested and invested in supporting the continued intellectual growth and increased breadth of scope of Canada’s research community. We firmly believe that that broad intellectual curiosity is critical for improving the well-being of Canadians, improving our understanding of the social determinants of wellness and disease, and increasing our capacity to provide optimal health care.

Already we have started building capacity in cross-cutting research domains that include the interface between health and society.  CIHR-funded multidisciplinary teams have shown tremendous promise in addressing key questions surrounding issues such as palliative care, cancer survivorship, obesity, neighborhood influences on health, mental health and health care delivery. These are just a few examples of a long list of research areas that require the insight and acumen of researchers from the social sciences and humanities community.

CIHR is in the process of planning important reforms to its peer review system to ensure that we are investing in the highest quality research and that applications from all four pillars of health research are reviewed with the same degree of equity. One of the objectives of these changes is to help identify and support ongoing and comprehensive research programs as opposed to applications for one-off research projects. I strongly encourage all health researchers previously supported by SSHRC to think about their work in these terms and, above all, to submit funding applications to CIHR for review.  I can ensure that these applications will be handled by top reviewers with the appropriate expertise in the field.

Pierre Chartrand, PhD
Vice-President, Research Portfolio
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Jacobs Foundation

The Jacobs Foundation wants to unlock young people’s potential and help them to become productive and socially responsible members of society. The foundation seeks cutting-edge research into the factors which influence an adolescent’s personal and professional development.

The Jacobs Foundation rarely considers unsolicited applications and spontaneous project proposals. Most of their projects are developed in close cooperation with partners that they have actively identified. However, if you believe that your research or activities match the Foundation’s approach and priorities very closely, you may send a preliminary project proposal.

In the field of Productive Youth Development, the Jacobs Foundation has current priorities:

1. Capitalizing on migration and the integration of youngsters with migrant backgrounds.
2. Improving learning contexts, including institutional dimensions of learning, all-day learning, out of school learning and integrative approaches to learning.
3. Economic dimensions of Productive Youth Development: macro and microeconomic effects

Within this context, the following aspects are of particular interest:

• developmental perspectives
• transitions in life
• preventative inter-mediate measures
• learning methods, such as formal and non-formal learning
• cultural contexts and values
• skills and social responsibility
• peace, inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue

More information and preliminary application…

Fulbright Program

The Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program offers a unique opportunity to explore important contemporary issues relevant to Canada and the United States and the relationship between the two countries.

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)

Fulbright: November 15, 2009

Value:
Traditional Fulbright Scholar Awards - $25,000 (U.S. for full academic year; $12,500 for one semester)

Description:

Traditional Fulbright Scholar Awards Grants are available to established scholars, post-doctoral researchers and experienced professionals to conduct research and/or teach at a host institution in the United States.
Applications in the following areas are given preference: Comparative public policy, North American integration, communications and culture, Indigenous issues, Border issues, Canada-U.S. relations, International trade, Security, Ecology and the environment, Law, Public Health, Canadian and American studies.All award recipients must be affiliated with an institution in the United States and are responsible for securing such affiliation.

All Applications must be accompanied by a completed ROLA .

More information & applications…

International Research Award – UWO Internal

International Research Awards are offered to support the cost of international research projects of modest scope.

Deadlines:  
Faculty of Education Associate Dean’s Office: Nov 2, 2009 (2-3 weeks earlier if you wish feedback on your application – submit to Karen Kueneman)
Research Development & Services: Nov 16, 2009

Value: $7,000 maximum

Description: This program provides seed money for one-time requests and projects of short duration, which involve a significant international component and enhance knowledge generation or information exchange between Canadian and foreign academics. Priority will be given to applicants who propose to conduct primary or secondary research in or about other countries and to applications that require international travel. Preference will be given to full-time, probationary or recently tenured faculty members striving to get programs of research established and to those who, during the past three years, have not received funds through this or other centrally administered internal funding programs at Western.

NOTE: In this case, “international” refers primarily to the subject of the research and not simply to the means by which it is carried out. Applicants are encouraged to describe any plans for scholarly interactions with researchers at that location. Applicants must be eligible to hold a research grant at UWO.

Previous Awards

Note: The submission instructions have been changed for this competition.

A ROLA submission must be submitted by the Dean’s deadline date.  Your generated Proposal ID must be included on your application.

Applications and guidelines …

Faculty of Education – Internal Research Grant Competition

The Faculty of Education, UWO announces a special request for proposals for its Internal Research Grant program.  Additional funds ($5000) are available for distribution from this fund. If several requests for funds are deemed fundable the committee may decide to award an amount less than the maximum allowable ($2,500).

From the guidelines: “Surplus: In the event that the funding awarded is less than the amount available in the budget, the Research Committee will consider other options for awarding the funds such as running a second competition during the fiscal year, providing seed funds to those researchers who were unsuccessful in applications for external funding, or other research possibilities.”

Deadline: November 2, 2009, 4:00 p.m. (for a decision by December 1, 2009)

Amount: up to $2,500 over one year (must be spent by April 30, 2010)

Description: These awards are to support the cost of research projects of modest scope (seed money, one-time requests, and projects of short duration). Preference will be given to probationary faculty.

Eligibility: The fund is restricted to faculty members within the Faculty of Education. Part-time or seconded faculty are not eligible to apply. Faculty may hold only one Internal Research & Development Grant annually.

Guidelines and applications available at: http://www.edu.uwo.ca/Research/internalfunding.html

Applicants must also complete ROLA.

Academic Development Fund – Major Grant Competition

The application form and instructions for the Academic Development Fund (ADF), New Research and Scholarly Initiatives Award - Major Grants Competition has been posted.  

Deadlines:  

Faculty of Education Dean’s Office: November 2, 2009 (if you wish feedback on your application allow an additional 2-3 weeks – submit to Karen Kueneman)

University Secretariat: November 16, 2009 (for a decision in June 2008)

Value:  Not specified – budgets of less than $8,500 will not normally be considered. Funding will normally be of a seed or start-up nature for one year

Description: The purpose of the funds is to promote the academic development of the University by assisting with the start-up and transition costs associated with innovative academic development projects. The Academic Development Fund – New Research and Scholarly Initiatives Award (Major Competition) is not intended for the support or maintenance of existing or ongoing programs.
Special Projects eligible for New Research and Scholarly Initiatives Award – Major Grant support include:
1.1 The initiation of outstanding scholarly endeavours or frontier research. Projects of this sort are expected to be innovative in the discipline in which they arise and to represent a significant departure from existing research lines at UWO.
1.2 The support of scholarly acquisitions.

Eligibility: Applications may be made by individuals, disciplinary teams, and cross-and-interdisciplinary teams, including those with external matching funds. At the time of application, the principal applicant must be a regular, full-time faculty member at Western.  [Special consideration may be given to those applications where careful integration and campus-wide planning is evident.]

NOTE: Applications are no longer accepted in print format. A pdf document must be submitted. The Associate Dean will sign a paper copy of the signature page and it will be delivered to the Secretariat by the deadline.

Applicants must also complete an RDAF form .

More information and applications…

Faculty of Education – Internal International Conference Travel

The Faculty of Education’s INTERNATIONAL Conference Travel Awards are to support faculty members in their research by providing the opportunity to attend INTERNATIONAL conferences to present their research work and to benefit from interactions with other researchers.

Amount: $2,500(If funds are available, the committee may consider requests in excess of $2,500 for travel to more expensive international conferences.)

Deadline: (Associate Dean’s Office) October 1, 2009, 4:00 p.m.

Eligibility:Applicants must be tenured or probationary faculty members of the Faculty of Education. A faculty member may apply once to each of the Conference Travel Grant competitions. Pending availability of funds, those who present at more than one conference in a given year (May 1- April 30) may be considered for additional funding as long as the total for all conferences does not exceed the above maximum.

Timing of Conference: There are no restrictions as to when the conference must occur. However, retroactive requests for conferences occurring prior to the application date for a particular competition will receive a lower priority.

Forms must be accompanied by a completed ROLA form.

Applications and guidelines…

The next application deadline for this competition is March 1, 2010.

Academic Development Fund (ADF) – Small Grant

The University of Western Ontario Academic Development Fund (ADF) New Research and Scholarly Initiatives Award, Small Grants Competition applications and instructions are now not yet available but if you are planning to apply you should begin preparations soon.

Deadlines:  
Faculty of Education Assoc Dean’s Office: October 1, 2009 (if you wish feedback on your application please submit 2-3 weeks early to Karen Kueneman)
University Secretariat: October 15, 2009 

Value: $8,500 maximum (for up to 2 years)

Description: The ADF’s Small Grants Competition supports the cost of research projects of modest scope. Applications may be made for new research initiatives. Preference will be given to applications that offer a clear rationale for the proposed research, exhibit innovation, and contain a budget explaining fully how the money requested will be spent. In addition, preference will be given to those faculty members striving to get programs of research established and to those who, during the past three years, have not received funds through the SSHRC Internal Research competitions or the Academic Development Fund (ADF).

Eligibility: Researchers in all disciplines are eligible. At the time of application, the principal applicant must be a regular, full-time faculty member at Western OR be a Professor Emeritus at Western with a casual appointment at the rank of Adjunct Research Professor – Independent Research Required.

Full Applications are to be accompanied by a completed RDAF form (bearing applicant and Assoc. Dean Signatures).

Last year’s guidelines and application forms are available at: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/senate/adf.pdf

Updated versions should be available soon.

NOTE: Applications must be submitted electronically in pdf format to the Secretariat’s Office. Please submit your electronic application by Oct 1/09 to Karen Kueneman, kueneman@uwo.ca, along with a hard copy of the signature page bearing your signature.  All applications will be forwarded by the Associate Dean’s Office to the Secretariat by the submission deadline of October 15/09.