DARE stories: Jonathan Obar and team

The Dean's Award for Research Excellence (DARE) was launched in 2017 to allow students to fully engage in a professional research project with one of our world-class faculty members.

"The Dean's Award for Research Excellence program is a wonderful opportunity for undergraduate students interested in developing research and knowledge mobilization skills," emphasized Jonathan Obar, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication & Media Studies. Dr. Obar is an active DARE faculty member and mentor who successfully collaborated on different DARE projects over three consecutive years.

In 2019, Obar collaborated with Jessica Pan, Communication and Media Studies, on a project entitled: "Open communication for an open internet? Understanding ISP transparency about network neutrality". The project was turned into a co-authored academic paper published in the Canadian Journal of Communication. "The mentorship and lessons I received during my DARE experience continue to inform the work that I do now, and prepare me for my grad school experiences," Pan emphasized.

The 2020 collaboration was with Lior Magalashvili, Communication and Media Studies, on their "Clickwrap Attack: Understanding Digital Clickwraps and the Online Privacy Threat" project. The project was mobilized as both a presentation at a prestigious academic conference, TPRC, as well as a co-authored piece. "The skills I gained in the DARE program have been fundamental to my education and future career goals. I learned how to implement a research project, co-develop educational deliverables and how to present my research," said Magalashvili.

Obar's most recent 2021 DARE project entitled "The Future of Big Data: Understanding Digital Service Data Retention Policies and Implications for Online Privacy" in collaboration with Tiana Putric, Disaster and Emergency Management, evaluates the extent to which digital service providers are transparent about data retention policy. Learn more about this year's projects and awards in this Yfile Story.

The Fifth Round of the DARE competition (2022) was announced on December 1^st, 2021. Faculty members interested in submitting a DARE project to work with a DARE student, please complete the Mach form for DARE research project postings (Stage 1) by January 6, 2022, by 4:00 pm EST set up the DARE for Faculty webpage.

 

Centre for Feminist Research 'Kickstarter' Grants

• Value: $1,000 - $10,000
• Duration: 1 year with a possible 1-year extension
• Deadline: Please submit your proposal and your up-to-date CV (including any prior grants) to cfr-coor@yorku.ca by February 1, 2022. Successful applicants will be contacted on February 18, 2022.

With funding from the Office of the Vice-President, Research Innovation, the Centre for Feminist Research at York University invites proposals for feminist research projects led by Black, Indigenous and racialized scholars with a preference for early career researchers and/or researchers who have not previously held a major grant. The Principal Investigator must hold a PhD at the time of application and must be associated with the Centre for Feminist Research, either as a Faculty, Research, or Community Associate, Visiting Scholar, or Postdoctoral Scholar.

Proposed projects may produce, but are not limited to, the following outcomes:

• Journal article or special issue
• Conference or speaker series
• Artwork or exhibits
• Workshop series or other community events

Please submit a maximum of two-page proposal outlining your project with an additional one-page budget sheet detailing the funds requested. Proposals should include:

• Title of project
• Summary of project
• How the project draws from and contributes to Black, Indigenous, and racialized feminisms
• The research plan and timeline
• Outcomes, including research outputs

Please direct any inquiries to cfr-coor@yorku.ca.

 

Canada-China Initiatives Fund

The York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) invites applications from York University faculty and graduate students for the Canada-China Initiatives Fund call for proposals.

YCAR is now accepting applications for the 22 January 2022 deadline for activities such as:

• Workshops or conferences “at York” (or in which York plays an institutional partnering role) that bring together researchers from York and elsewhere that are focused on CCF themes
• Virtual events and initiatives
• Research projects by York faculty on issues within the CCIF’s stated scope

The application forms and more information are available on YCAR website or email ycar@yorku.ca.

 

York-Massey Fellowship Announcement

Deadline: January 11, 2022

York-Massey Fellowships are open to York faculty members planning to go on sabbatical or other leave during the 2022-23 academic year. The Fellowship provides for shared office space in the College for a period of eight months during the academic year, and the status of a full Senior Resident of the College. As well, all York-Massey Fellows retain their membership in the College as members of the Alumni Association for as long as they choose to maintain these memberships.

 

Upcoming Internal Funding Opportunities

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 Internal funding opportunities can be accessed here. 

Upcoming Deadlines:

• LA&PS Senior Scholars' Research Fund - Application Form - Deadline December 15, 2021
• Seed Grant for Collaborative Research Initiatives - Application Form (Doc.) - Deadline January 15, 2021
• LA&PS Black Scholars Research Fund - Application Form (Doc.) - Deadline January 15, 2021
• Sabbatical Leave Fellowship - More Information - Deadline January 15, 2021
• Exchange Conference Grant - Application Form (PDF) - Deadline February 1st, 2021

 

NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program

• Value: $1.65M over 6 years
• Application Procedure
  • Phase 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)  – Due May 2, 2022
  • Phase 2: Full Application (by invitation only) – Due September 22, 2022
• Deadline: The iNOIs are due no later than March 17, 2022 by email to Maheen Hasan (mhasan@yorku.ca)

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.

Please see the NSERC website for more details on the CREATE program. For examples of successful CREATE programs, please review the list of competition results. You can find here York York iNOI form. For more information and the iNOI submission package please contact Maheen Hasan, Strategic and Institutional Research Specialist, in the Office of Research Services at mhasan@yorku.ca.

 

NSERC Idea to Innovation (I2I) Grants

• Market Assessment
  • Value: Funding is available with a maximum contribution from NSERC of $15K (75% of project costs).
  • Duration: up to one year
  • Deadline: Friday, January 7, 2022
• Phase I - reduction to practice stage
  • Value: Funding is available to a maximum of $125K, and is non-renewable.  NSERC will assume 100 percent of the direct costs of research for Phase 1 projects.
  • Duration: up to one year
  • Deadline: Monday, April 4, 2022
• Phase IIa - Technology Enhancement
  • Value: NSERC will support up to two-thirds of the costs of the project with the early-stage entity providing the balance in cash. Funding requested from NSERC should not exceed an average of $125K per year.
  • Duration: IIa – 6-18 months
  • Deadline: Monday, June 27, 2022

• Phase IIb – up to 24 months
  • Value: Funding requested should not exceed $350K for the duration of the project.  NSERC may fund up to half the cost of the project, with the company providing the other half through a combination of in-kind and at least 40% cash contributions.
  • Duration: up to 24 months
  • Deadline: Monday, September 26, 2022

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is accepting applications to the Idea to Innovation (I2I) Grants Program. This program is available to university researchers to accelerate the pre-competitive development of promising technology originating from the university and college sector and promote its transfer to a new or established Canadian company. The I2I Program provides funding for four phases (Market Assessment, Phase I, Phase IIa and Phase IIb). Objectives include:

• To accelerate the pre-competitive development of promising technology originating from the university and college sector and promote its transfer to a new or established Canadian company
• To provide funding to college and university faculty members to support research and development projects with recognized technology transfer potential.
• To provide crucial assistance in the early stages of technology validation and market connection

Proposals under this program must include a detailed technology transfer and commercialization plan prepared and endorsed by the university. Please contact Yaser Kerachian, Commercialization Manager for VISTA at yaserk@yorku.ca or ext. 33843, for VISTA-related proposals. For everyone else, please contact Anna Han, Commercialization Manager at ahan@yorku.ca  or ext. 44315, prior to preparing your application.

Faculty members interested in applying should contact Emina Veletanlic, Grant Development Specialist, at eveletan@yorku.ca. Mandatory internal deadlines for ORS for full application review are:

• Market assessment: Monday, December 6, 2021
• Phase I: Monday, March 14, 2022
• Phase IIa: Monday, June 13, 2022
• Phase IIb: Monday, September 12, 2022

The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am five (5) working days prior to submission to the agency.

 

2022 SSHRC Insight Development Grants (IDG) Competition

• Value: $7,000 - $75,000
• Duration: 1 – 2 years
• Deadlines: Wednesday, February 2, 2022

SSHRC is accepting applications to the 2022 Insight Development Grants (IDG) competition. Objectives include:

• to enable the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and/or ideas; and 
• to foster research in its early stages, but are not intended to support large-scale initiatives 

This program supports research in its initial stages. Please refer to the internal notices above to learn more about An information session that will be hosted by LA&PS on December 15, 2021.

If you have questions about this opportunity please contact Max Dagenais, Research Facilitator at dagenam@yorku.ca. Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is Monday, January 10, 2022, for full application review. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am five (5) working days prior to submission to the agency.

 

Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute - Programmes for 2022-22

• Overhead: Not applicable
• Value
  • For a bi-national Conference/Symposium: INR 50,000 (approx. CAD 850)
  • For a Lecture Series/ Workshop/Seminar: INR 25,000 (approx. CAD 425)
• Duration: Not specified, event must take place before March 15, 2022
• Deadlines: 11:59 pm (IST) on Thursday, December 30, 2021

The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) recently announced its funding programmes for 2021-2022. All proposed research will be done remotely by making use of online tools and will be based on the Institute’s COVID-19 policy. the Objective is to organize virtual events like seminars, workshops, conferences, and lecture series.

Final proposal and fully signed ORS Checklist due at ORS for required review by 9:00 am on Thursday, 16 December 2021. If you have questions about this opportunity please contact Max Dagenais, Research Facilitator at dagenam@yorku.ca.

 

Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s 2021/22 Highway Infrastructure Innovations Funding Program (HIIFP) – Call for Proposals

• Value: The award value is subject to budget approval and the Ministry may have to delay any awards until the budget has been approved.
• Required Overhead: 25%
• Duration: One year, with some consideration for multi-year proposals
• Deadlines: Monday, January 17, 2022, 4:00 pm EST

The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) recently announced its 2021/2022 Highway Infrastructure Innovation Funding Program (HIIFP).  The HIIFP funds research at Ontario colleges and universities to encourage applied research in transportation infrastructure in Ontario.

Please see the HIIFP guidelines for more details.

Objectives include:

• to fund research at Ontario colleges and universities to encourage applied research in transportation infrastructure in Ontario;
• intended to solicit innovation solutions to assist the Ministry in meeting its strategic plan and to encourage undergraduate and graduate research in transportation and infrastructure engineering by providing funding to aid in such research; and
• designed to supplement the research expertise at the Ministry with that available from Ontario’s academic community.

Faculty members interested in applying should contact Emina Veletanlic, Grant Development Specialist, at eveletan@yorku.ca. Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is by 9:00 am on Thursday, January 13, 2022, for full application review. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am five (5) working days prior to submission to the agency.

 

Ontario Ministry of Transportation: 2021-2022 Road Safety Research Partnership Program

• Required Overhead: 15%
• Value & Duration
  • New long-term projects - up to 15 months in duration (max. $180,000 over two years);
  • New short-term projects - up to 3 months in duration (max. $50,000); and,
• Ongoing projects - max. $50,000
• Deadlines:
  • Application due at Research Accounting for the signature of VP Finance (send to Angela Zeno azeno@yorku.ca) 9:00 am on Monday, December 6, 2021.
  • Agency deadline: until 11:59 pm (EST) on Monday, December 13, 2021

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) recently announced a Call for Proposals (CFP) as part of the 2021-2022 Road Safety Research Partnership Program (RSRPP).  This program funds researchers to conduct cutting-edge, road safety research that supports efforts to improve road safety. Objectives include:

• To stimulate applied transportation safety research in Ontario, with a focus on road user behavior and human factors, and to deliver practical policy or program-ready solutions for the MTO
• To facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills, and methodologies from other disciplines to road user safety research, and to foster collaborative working relationships between MTO and researchers in the academic and broader public sector community

There are three streams of projects that MTO is interested in funding:

1. New long-term projects
2. New short-term projects, and,
3. Ongoing projects, which are already in progress, but have components that address one of the priority areas

All relevant documents for this funding opportunity are included below:

• 3a_MTO RSRPP Application Form 2021-2022_Stream A
• 3b_MTO RSRPP Application Form 2021-2022_Stream B
• 3c_MTO RSRPP Application Form 2021-2022_Stream C.

Faculty members interested in applying should contact Emina Veletanlic, Grant Development Specialist, at eveletan@yorku.ca. Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is by 9:00 am on Thursday, December 9, 2021, for full application review. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am five (5) working days prior to submission to the agency.

 

IDRC Research Awards 2022-2023

• Deadline: February 1, 2022

This year IDRC will offer research awards related to these development areas or themes: Climate-Resilient Food Systems, Democratic and Inclusive Governance, Education and Science, Ethics in Development Research, Global Health, Policy and Evaluation, and Sustainable Inclusive Economies.

If your research proposal is selected, you will join IDRC as a Research award recipient for a period of 12 months from 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023 with a salary in Canadian dollars between CA$42,033 to CA$48,659 to undertake research on the topic you have submitted. You will receive hands-on experience in research and program management and support, grant administration, and the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge from an international perspective. To apply, please visit the IDRC website.

If you have any questions, please contact Luke Li, International Partnerships Offices at: lukeli@yorku.ca.

Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence Grant (ORF-RE Round 11)

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities has launched Round 11 of the Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence (ORF-RE) program. The ORF-RE program provides funding for eligible direct operating costs as well as a portion of indirect costs for research projects of strategic value to the province. Full program details, including the program guidelines and application forms, are available on the ORF-RE website.

• Stream 1: General – Basic and Applied Research Open to all disciplines
  • Value: Funds projects from $500,000 to $2,000,000 (Ontario Portion).
  • Duration Funds projects up to a maximum of 5 years
• Stream 2: Targeted – Experimental Research Funds projects that demonstrate strong commercialization potential, where the innovation is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3 or higher.
  • Value: Funds projects from $300,000 - $1,000,000 (Ontario Portion).
  • Duration: Funds projects up to a maximum of 4 years.

Please find here a VPRI Competition Announcement Memo for more details about requirements and timelines. All interested researchers must notify Maheen Hasan, Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI) Specialist at mhasan@yorku.ca and their Faculty Research Office as soon as possible about their intention to apply.

For faculty-based support for this application, please notify Max Dagenais, Research Facilitator at dagenam@yorku.ca.

 

Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowships

• ANTICIPATED DEADLINE – check MS Research Faculty Award website for updated deadlines

The Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship sponsored by Microsoft Research recognizes innovative, promising new faculty, whose exceptional talent for research and innovation identifies them as emerging leaders in their fields. Provisions for the 2022 award include $100,000 USD awarded annually for two years starting in the fall of 2022. The funds are dispersed through the University as a gift and no portion of the funds may go toward overhead or other indirect costs.

York University may submit up to three nominations. The Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship competition is open to Full-time faculty at a degree-granting college or university in North or South America in these research areas.

Faculties should submit internal nomination materials to the Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives team via email to Abby Vogus (avogus@yorku.ca) by noon on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. If you anticipate submitting an application please contact David Cuff, Director Strategic Research & Partnerships, at dcuff@yorku.ca.

 

Research Data Management Capacity Building Initiative

• Value: $7K - $25K for Events | $7K - $50K for Outreach activities
• Duration: 1 year
• Agency Deadline:  February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1, 2022

Following the release of the tri-agency research data management policy in March 2021, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is pleased to announce the extension of the Research Data Management Capacity Building Initiative. This initiative aims to continue helping the Canadian social sciences and humanities research community better understand data management, and incorporate data management considerations into research practices.

The initiative will fund at least 10 meritorious Connection Grants proposals per competition for the November 2021, February, May and August 2022 cycles, to support the research community’s development, adoption and dissemination of research data management standards, practices, tools and skills appropriate to their field.

If you have questions about this opportunity please contact Max Dagenais, Research Facilitator at dagenam@yorku.ca.

Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is no later than 12:00 pm on the agency deadline date. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is no later than 3 business days prior to agency deadline at 9:00 am.

 

Nomination for Royal Society of Canada Medals & Awards

Please find in this VPRI Memo RSC Medals 2022 information regarding the process for the 2022 nomination cycle for Royal Society of Canada (RSC) Medals & Awards, which will be launched on January 15, 2022. Please consult the RSC website for an updated nomination guide and instructions that will be made available by RSC after that date.

 

Mitacs Business Strategy Internship Program

• Value
  • $10K; the partner pays $5K and no university funds are required $15K; the partner pays only $7.5K and no university funds are required.
  • At $15K, participants have the option of using up to $5K for specified project costs or to top up the intern stipend.

• Duration: 4 months
• Deadlines: Rolling

Mitacs is accepting applications to its new Business Strategy Internship Program. This program allows students to apply their technical expertise to business challenges to support an organization’s innovative activities. A summary is provided below. The main objective is to enable the brightest students to undertake a collaborative internship with businesses or eligible not-for-profit organizations (NFPs). The award is open to students across all disciplines, from law to STEM to social sciences and humanities. If you have questions about this opportunity please contact Max Dagenais, Research Facilitator at dagenam@yorku.ca.

Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is by 9:00 am two (2) working days prior to submission to agency. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am five (5) working days prior to submission to agency.

 

Mitacs Accelerate SME Discount

Mitacs has just launched a special SME discount call for the Accelerate program. Faculty members that are collaborating with a company/Not for Profit (NFP) that has fewer than 500 employees, can get a discounted rate for the company contribution. The main points of the program are:

1. The contribution is $3,750+HST from the partner + $11,250 from Mitacs (instead of the standard $7,500+HST from partner and $7,500 from Mitacs) for a 4-6 month internship unit.
2. Submission deadline is February 1st, 2022, or while quantities last.
3. 1 discounted unit per named intern
4. Partner has to be 1-499 employees, including NFPs

If you have questions about this opportunity please contact Max Dagenais, Research Facilitator at dagenam@yorku.ca.

SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants (PEG)

• Value: $7,000 to $25,000
• Duration: 1 year
• Agency Deadline:  March 15, June 15, and September 15, December 15,2022, at 12:00 PM (EST)

SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants (PEG) 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. If you are interested in applying for this opportunity, please contact Max Dagenais, Research Facilitator, at dagenam@yorku.ca.

Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is by 9:00 am on the agency deadline. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am two (2) working days prior to submission to agency.

NSERC Alliance-Mitacs Accelerate Grants

• Value: Standard Alliance Option 1 values apply: min $20K/year – max $1M/year
• Duration: Up to 5 years
• Deadline: rolling

NSERC in partnership with Mitacs is pleased to announce a new joint initiative: NSERC Alliance-Mitacs Accelerate Grants that will support the R&D efforts of Canadian university researchers and their partners while supporting highly qualified personnel including students and/or postdoctoral fellows. The new opportunity is being offered through NSERC’s Alliance grants and Mitac’s Accelerate programs. If you have questions about this opportunity please contact Emina Veletanlic, Grant Development Specialist at eveletan@yorku.ca.

Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is by 9:00 am two (2) working days prior to submission to agency. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am five (5) working days prior to submission to agency.

 

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 Grants 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 Emina Veletanlic, Grant Development Specialist, at eveletan@yorku.ca.

Learn more about NSERC - Alliance Grant option 2 (EN)

Learn more about NSERC - Alliance Grant option 2 (FR)

Mandatory internal deadline for ORS review is by 9:00 am two (2) working days prior to submission to agency. The recommended LA&PS internal deadline for faculty review is by 9:00 am five (5) working days prior to submission to agency.