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Research Digest, February 22, 2021

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February 22, 2021 Issue

The LA&PS Research Office publishes a bi-weekly Research Digest to keep faculty members informed about important research issues and opportunities.

If you or your unit is planning an event, a notice or a funding opportunity that you would like included in our Digest Newsletter, please send these to lapsrsc@yorku.ca.

In this issue:


Internal Notices

The 2021 Kitty Lundy Memorial Lecture: ‘What we saw. What we made. When we emerge’ with award-winning author Dionne Brand

When? Thursday, March 11, 6:00-7:30 pm (EST)
Where? Learn more and register here

Join us for the 2021 Kitty Lundy Memorial Lecture with award-winning author Dionne Brand. Following in the passion for social justice and education that is a key feature of the Kitty Lundy Memorial series, we are thrilled to provide you with the opportunity to learn from this renowned poet, novelist and essayist. This event is free and open to the public. Please share widely with your network.

Announcement: VPRI Grant Clinic - LA&PS Internal Faculty Submission Process

The deadlines for submission are:
- New Applicant Stream Submissions are due February 22, 2021, 4:00 pm (EST)
- Resubmission Stream Submissions are due April 15, 2021, 4:00 pm (EST)

The Research Commons is now accepting applications for the 2021 Grant Clinic, a program that provides a selected group of researchers comprehensive supports to develop applications for Canada's core Tri-Council operating grant competitions in Fall 2021: SSHRC Insight, NSERC Discovery and CIHR Project. Faculty who are interested in participating in this program must submit proposals to the Faculty using this Machform. Find more information in guidelines and submission instructions as well as the Faculty memorandum.

Call for nominations: 2021 Honorific Professorships

The deadline for submission is Friday, March 5, 5:00 pm (EST).

The Senate Committee on Awards is now accepting nominations for University Professorships. University Professorships are conferred upon long-serving tenured faculty members who have demonstrated a commitment to participation in University life and/or contribution to the University as a community, as well as appropriate levels of scholarship and teaching success.

Nominations for the University Professorships may be made by all tenured faculty members, who shall provide a complete nomination file, including the nominee’s c.v., a detailed letter of nomination explaining how the candidate’s achievements conform to the general criteria, along with three (3) letters of support from those in a position to comment on the nominee’s achievements and contributions.

Additional details about the criteria and nomination procedures are set out in the Senate Policy on Honorific Professorships and the nomination form is available on the Awards Committee website. Nominations may be submitted electronically to hbarron@yorku.ca.

Resource: LA&PS webinar 500 booking service

LA&PS Research Office, Office of the Dean has purchased a Zoom webinar license for up to 500 participants. We are pleased to offer this service to our LA&PS faculty who would like to organize webinar(s) for Research or dissemination of Research purposes. The LA&PS Research Office team is now available to set up webinars. Find more information on how to book your event(s) and timelines in the LA&PS Webinar guidelines.

Resource: Understanding Racism: A Guide for Students, Faculty & Staff: Register for the REDI Anti-Racism Workshop Series

The Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REI) will be hosting its special REDI Anti-Racism Workshop Series this Black History Month, every Tuesday in February. The online sessions will cover the fundamentals of what racism is, how it manifests and what its impacts are, as well as offer tools to intervene and opportunities to work with others on overcoming barriers to using those tools in real-life situations, with the ultimate goal of promoting belonging. Learn more and register here.

Resource: The National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) membership

York University has joined the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) as an institutional member. The NCFDD is a recognized, independent organization devoted to helping diverse scholars thrive in the academy throughout the career lifespan. The NCFDD provides virtual programs and resources to help faculty, post-docs and graduate students to complete writing projects, improve their work-life balance and build healthy relationships at work. Offerings range from quick tips and strategies to more sustained development programs, including peer support groups. NCFDD resources are broadly applicable across academic disciplines.

Popular topics include:
- Academic time management and the art of saying “no.”
- Overcoming academic perfectionism.
- How to develop a daily writing plan, and more.

Learn more about the services and how to activate your free membership here.

Workshop: 2021 Critical Social Science Perspectives in Global Health workshop and seed grant competition

When? Wednesday February 24 (1:00pm - 2:30pm EST) and Thursday February 25 (2:30pm - 4:00pm EST).

The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research will be hosting the second annual “York Faculty and Researcher Workshop on Critical Social Science Perspectives in Global Health” – a two-day workshop that will be held virtually via Zoom. Participants will discover, share, and engage with members of the research community at York University from a variety of disciplines which we hope will lead to new insights, collaboration, and research opportunities. Register for the workshop here. 

Additionally, the Dahdaleh Institute will again offer five research seed grants of up to $5,000 CAD each, to support the development of further research in Critical Social Science Perspectives in Global Health. These seed grants will support critical social science perspectives in the global health research that is taking place or is planned at York University, and that contributes to the Themes of the Dahdaleh Institute.

Reminder: Submit your Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award nominations

Deadline for nominations: March 5, 2021.

The Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award recognizes students whose leadership has contributed to the growth, development and vitality of York University. All members of the University community (students, faculty, staff and alumni) are encouraged to submit nominations for this award. Nominees must be currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students who exhibit leadership, dedication, integrity, enthusiasm and the pursuit of excellence through their endeavours. Learn more here.

Update: Submission of External Grants through Office of Research Services

Given the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, ORS is now accepting electronic submissions of research applications.  A description of the submission process, and the two versions of the ORS checklist, can be found on this page.

Dialogue, SSHRC Newsletter, February 2021

Dialogue, the eNewsletter of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council is now available here.

Upcoming LA&PS Events

Sociology Annual Lecture 2021: Trump as Vector: Pandemic Denialism and the Anti-Lockdown Revolt with Mike Davis

When? February 25 (Thursday), 2021, 5:00 - 7:00 pm EST
Where? Attend via this Zoom link learn more about the Annual lecture on the Sociology Social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

Indigenous Women's Speakers Series: Hawaiian Decolonization and the Enduring Question of Feminism with J. Kēhaulani Kauanui

When? 25 February 2021 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Where? Learn more and register here.

GLRC Webinar Series: Social Justice Movements in the Changed Reality of the Pandemic and Beyond

When? February 11, 2021 – March 17, 2021
Where? Learn more and register here.

2021 Black History Month Virtual Celebration

When? February 26th between 12:00 - 3:00 pm on YouTube Live @BHMrootedandresilient or follow @yorkulions
Where? Learn more about the event here.

Undergraduate Research Fair

When? March 10th 2021, 11:00am - 1:30pm
Where? Learn more here.


Internal Notices

Internal Grants

The Grace and David Taylor Graduate Scholarship in Caribbean Studies

  • Deadline: March 19, 2021
  • Value: $5,000

This scholarship is intended to support PhD students at York University whose research is related to Caribbean studies so that they might focus on research during the fieldwork phase of their studies or while writing their thesis. Recipients will be selected based on academic excellence, significance of proposed research, likelihood of completion, and financial need.  Preference will be given to a PhD student whose dissertation proposal has been accepted. Applicants can contact cbonifaz@yorku.ca, for further information on this scholarship. Details and application form available here and referee recommendation form available here.

The Paavo and Aino Lukkari Graduate Fellowship & Award

  • Value of Award: a maximum of 5,000 (multiple awards)
  • Value of fellowship: One award of $10,000 will be granted annually to an eligible MA or PhD student.
  • Deadline: Friday, March 19, 2021.
  • Eligibility: York graduate students in good standing who are engaged in research on human rights and social justice issues related to the situation of indigenous people and/or people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean. Who are citizens or permanent residents of Ontario. And who are  registered in the CERLAC Graduate Diploma Program (Fellowship requirement only)

The Award functions as a cost fund to support a number of graduate students’ research and academic training costs, for complementary activities central to the completion of their research. The Fellowship is intended as a general support fund, to cover general research and related costs (fieldwork, equipment, book purchases, specialized training or software, etc.); the funds may also be used for tuition and general living expenses, to relieve the student from financial pressure in order to focus on his/her project.

Questions can be directed to cbonifaz@yorku.ca

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 here.

Internal Grants

External Notices

Announcement: SSHRC Remote Adjudication

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SSHRC has investigated alternate approaches for holding adjudication committee meetings to respect travel restrictions and social distancing measures.  As a result, all remaining SSHRC adjudication meetings for the fiscal year 2020-21 will be held remotely by video-conference rather than as traditional, in-person meetings. The actual peer review methodology will not change and SSHRC has returned to its regular, pre-COVID processes for providing feedback to applicants. This independent external merit review process adheres to internationally recognized best practices as the fairest, transparent and most effective way to allocate public research funds. As of October 1, 2020, committee members who participate in virtual adjudication meetings can be reimbursed for dependent care costs (e.g., child care, elder care, care for family members with differing abilities):

  • up to $100 per dependent, per day, with a declaration for dependent care and receipts for services provided by an individual or company in the business of providing dependent care services; or
  • $50 per household, per day, with only a declaration for dependent care.

Members can also be reimbursed for incremental technology and other miscellaneous costs through a $50 allowance per day or half-day of participation in the adjudication process. If the COVID pandemic situation continues beyond the end of this fiscal year, the same approach may be used for funding opportunities to follow in 2021-22. For any inquiries, contact Research grants at research@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca or Partnership grants: partnerships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca


External Notices

External Grants and Fellowships

Short notice: Community Foundations of Canada – Healthy Communities Initiative (Round 1)

Value: $5,000 - $250,000
Duration Project end date is June 30, 2022
Internal Deadline: Round one required ORS review March 5

Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) is accepting applications for its Healthy Communities Initiative to identify and fund local projects and solutions to the challenges presented by COVID-19. Please see the Applicant Guide for examples of eligible projects under each theme. If you anticipate submitting an application for this program, please contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

There will be two application rounds of funding applications. Applicants who do not wish to apply or did not receive funding in the first round can reapply for funding in round two. Round two applications and fully signed ORS Checklist due at ORS for required review are due by 9:00am on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. 

SSHRC Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research – Connection Grants

  • Value:
    - Events - $7,000 to $25,000
    - Outreach Activities - $7,000 to $50,000; higher amounts may be considered if well justified
  • Duration:1 year
  • Agency Deadline: May 1, August 1, November 1, 2021, at 12:00 PM (EST)

SSHRC announced the relaunching of the Connection Grants arm of the Initiative for Digital Citizen Research (IDCR), a joint initiative with the Department of Canadian Heritage (PCH). The IDCR aims to develop a better understanding of the impacts of online disinformation in Canada in order to better inform programs and policies, build Canada’s capacity to conduct research on – and related to – countering online disinformation and other related online harms, and help foster a community of researchers engaged with digital citizenship and online disinformation in Canada. It also aims to provide assistance to selected events and outreach activities for short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives.

Learn more about the description and submission instructions here. For any questions, contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants (PEG)

  • Value: $7,000 to $25,000
  • Duration: 1 year
  • Agency Deadline:  March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15, 2021, at 12:00 PM (EST)

These grants 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. For any questions, contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRA)

  • Value: $6,000 plus organization contribution
  • Duration: 16 consecutive weeks on a full-time basis.
  • Deadline: Departments must submit their completed applications and transcripts, along with their rankings, to the Dean’s office by Friday, March 12, 2021, at 9:00 am (EST).

USRAs are meant to nurture undergraduate students' interests and fully develop their potential for a research career in the natural sciences and engineering. They are also meant to encourage students to undertake graduate studies in these fields. An information session was held on Friday, 22 January 2021, at 9:00 am via zoom. for a copy of this webinar please contact Joanne Sequeira at adminres@yorku.ca. Find more information about York internal process in this memorandum from the Faculty of Science.

2021 competition for NSERC Synergy Awards for Innovation

Deadline: Internal Nomination Components by March 15, 2021

The award recognizes examples of collaboration that stand as a model of effective partnerships between industry and universities. The nominated partnership must be in the natural sciences and/or engineering and be between a Canadian university professor, or group of professors, and a Canadian-based company or companies with commercial activities in Canada, such as R&D and/or manufacturing. Winners of the Synergy Awards must show effective use of human, technical and financial resources, leading to tangible commercial, social or environmental benefits with their industrial partners. Universities must demonstrate a sustained partnership. All institutional nominations will be reviewed by the Major Awards Advisory Committee (MAAC), which will make recommendations to VPRI on the nominations to be put forward by the university. Find more information about York internal process in this memorandum from Vice-President, Research & Innovation. For any questions, SIRI Specialist Abby Vogus at avogus@yorku.ca.

NSERC Call for Proposals: Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program

  • Value and Duration: $1.65 Million over 6 years
  • Agency Deadlines:
    - Phase 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)  – Due May 3, 2021
    - Phase 2: Full Application (by invitation only) – Due September 22, 2021

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. For examples of successful CREATE programs, please review the list of competition results. The CREATE program has permitted York University a yearly quota of 4 LOIs, and only those researchers selected by York can submit LOIs.

Researchers planning to submit an application to the CREATE program (Phase 1: Letter of Intent) must first submit an internal Notice of Intent (iNOI). The iNOIs are due no later than March 18, 2021, by email to Maheen Hasan (mhasan@yorku.ca).

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 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 David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca. Read the two-pager in English or in French here.

CIHR Call for Proposals: Health Research Training Platform

Value and Duration:
up to $400,000 per year for up to 6 years, for a total of $2,400,000 per grant.

Agency Deadlines:
Phase 1: Registration Deadline – Due April 21, 2021
Phase 2: Full Application – Due June 22, 2021

The Health Research Training Platform (HRTP) Pilot funding opportunity is intended to support the development of interdisciplinary, inter-jurisdictional, and intersectoral research training platforms that will attract a diverse cadre of high-calibre trainees and ECRs, and equip them with the skills required for academic and non-academic careers. These research training platform grants can be used to build capacity in established or emerging areas, within the scope of the research training areas identified in the funding pools outlined below. For any questions contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

CIHR Funding Opportunities

A list of funding opportunities through CIHR can be found on this page of the agency’s website. Please be attentive to any COVID-19 update that appears as part of the posting for specific opportunities. Due to the large volume of RFAs, the Office of Research Services has created a simplified Excel spreadsheet that will make it easier for researchers to locate the funding call that is most appropriate to their research area. You will be required to enter your Passport York user ID and password for YU Link to gain access to the spreadsheet. Alternatively, you may contact ORS at research@yorku.ca to send you the file as an attachment.

Québec Secretariat for Canadian Relations - Support program for the Canadian Francophonie - Call for Projects Stream 3: Partnerships

  • Value and Duration
    - Up to $20K for 1-year projects
    - Up to $40K for 2-year projects
    - Up to $60K for 3-year projects
  • Deadline: March 3rd, 2021

The Québec Secretariat for Canadian Relations (SQRC) is launching its first call for 2021-2022. It will be accepting applications to its Stream 3: Partnership Program to carry out joint projects between organizations in Quebec and those in other provinces and territories in Canada.  The call opened on January 18, 2021. The objectives are to support annual projects that meet the needs of Francophone and Acadian communities in a given province or territory and to strengthen links between Quebec and the Francophone and Acadian communities in Canada. Faculty members interested in applying should contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

New International Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research

Agency Deadline: March 31, 2021

The Einstein Foundation in Berlin, Germany, has announced a new “Award for Promoting Quality in Research” in three categories: 1) Individual Award: Individual scientists or small teams of collaborating scientists can be nominated. The laureate will be awarded €200,000. 2) Institutional Award: Governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions, or other entities can apply or be nominated. The award-winning organization or institution will receive €200,000. If governmental organizations or institutions are the recipients of the award, they will not receive any funds in addition to the award itself. 3) Early Career Award: Early career researchers can submit a project proposal for an award of €100,000. Individual researchers from all fields, as well as collaborations, institutions, and organizations (NGO or governmental), are eligible to apply. Faculty members interested in applying should contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

Mitacs SOSCIP Cleantech Call for Proposals

- Value: $15,000 for every 4-6 months with $7,500+HST from industry and $7,500 from Mitacs in addition to a waived access to SOSCIP’s computing platforms
- Duration 6-18 months.
- Agency Deadlines: March 31st, 2021

Mitacs and Smart Computing for Innovation (SOSCIP) are partnering to provide Ontario-based companies and academic partners access to artificial intelligence (AI) and Data Science technology.  Applicants can apply for both access to SOSCIP platforms as well as the Mitacs Accelerate Program at the same time. Mitacs-Accelerate is a graduate research internship program that connects graduate students and post-docs in any discipline at Canadian Universities with companies through short to medium-term research projects which address a company's need. If you are interested in applying to this competition, please contact Rachel Sung, Mitacs Business Development Specialist at sungr@yorku.ca.

Status of Women’s Feminist Response and Recovery Fund

Value: 300,000 for local reach, 500,000 for regional reach, 700,000 for pan-Canadian reach
Duration: Funded projects are expected to begin in Summer 2021 and be completed by March 31, 2024.
Agency Deadline: March 25th, 2021 by 3:00 pm (EST)

The purpose of the Women’s Program is to address or remove systemic barriers impeding the progress and advancement of women, in all their diversity, in three priority areas:

  • Encouraging women and girls in leadership and decision-making positions
  • Improving women’s and girls’ economic security and prosperity
  • Ending gender-based violence

Interested applicants must notify their Faculty Research Office (David Cuff - dcuff@yorku.ca) and the Office of Research Services (Emma Doran – edoran@yorku.ca) as soon as possible about their intention to apply and for details about the Notice of Intent (NOI) required for VPRI’s internal selection process. Please note that only one application from the university may be forwarded to the agency. 


External Grants
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