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Research Digest, February 8, 2021

February 8, 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

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.

Resource: Research Commons: February Workshops

The Research Commons is offering 3 workshops this month:

  1. Navigating Early Career Awards,  – February 9 @ 1:00 PM
  2. Framing Your Research to Maximize Impact, – February 17 @ 2:00 PM
  3. Building Research Partnerships and Collaborations with Indigenous Communities,  – February 24 @ 10:00 AM

Please note that all Research Commons workshops will be recorded and made available to faculty and staff who register for the workshops.

Event: Moving Forward webinar series

Last fall, the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS) launched a new webinar series titled Moving Forward, creating an opportunity to allow our alumni, students, donors, retirees, faculty, and staff to connect during this difficult time of physical isolation. You can watch the recorded Fall 2020 webinars here. The series will resume for the Winter session on January 28. Learn more about the schedule and register here.

Event: Undergraduate research fair

Date: March 10th 2021, 11:00am - 1:30pm

The 2021 fair will be held virtually online.  The Fair is juried and applications are reviewed by a campus-wide selection committee. The Undergraduate Research Fair offers an opportunity for experiential learning in an inclusive environment. Everyone is welcome to attend this online showcase of undergraduate research work and art. Students share their projects in the form of poster sessions, presented simultaneously in a friendly, marketplace-like community. The Art Walk exhibit leading to the Fair displays student art and design work. After a keynote speech celebrating student work, several cash prizes are awarded. Please drop by online to help celebrate undergraduate research at York University. 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.


Internal Notices

Internal Grants

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

The HUC Student Dialogues on SDGs Spring 2021

Faculty Application Deadline: Monday, February 22

Hosted by the Hemispheric University Consortium (HUC) and Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador), the HUC Student Dialogues on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consists of a series of workshops aimed at promoting intercultural dialogues and digital skills across the hemisphere. You can find here:

Interested faculty members may complete the Workshop Application Form and send it via email at lukeli@yorku.ca with “HUC Student Dialogues on SDGs” in the subject line by the deadline.

The Organizers have set-up Zoom info sessions on Friday 12th, 19th from 09h00-10h00 EST (GMT-5) and from 15h00-16h00 EST (GMT-5).

For questions specific to the organization and logistics of this event, please directly contact Alex Rendón, Deputy Director of International Programs, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ at arendon@usfq.edu.ec

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

Resource: University of Regina Community Based Research Webinar Series

The University of Regina is hosting a free three-part webinar series exploring research with real impact.

Webinar 1: What is community-based research?
Date and Time: Feb 10, 2021 from 1-2pm EST
Register Here

Webinar 2: What is knowledge mobilization?
Date and Time: Feb 17, 2021 from 1-2pm EST
Register Here

Webinar 3: Building Successful Partnerships
Date and time: February 24, 1-2 EST
Register Here

Learn more about these webinars in this promotional poster.


External Notices

External Grants and Fellowships

Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness: Call for Proposals Cyber Security Cooperation Program

  • Overhead: 15%
  • Value: Up to $300K/year per contribution or grant
  • Duration: All projects must be completed by March 31, 2024
  • Agency Deadline: Friday, February 12, 2021, by 11:59 Pacific Time (PST)

The Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is inviting proposals to support and advance efforts to build a safe and resilient Canada through the Cyber Security Cooperation Program (CSCP). The following subjects are being targeted for this current call for proposals:

  1. Secure and Resilient Canadian Systems
  2. An Innovative and Adaptive Cyber Ecosystem
  3. Effective Leadership, Governance and Collaboration

Faculty members interested in applying should contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

The Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program

  • Value: up to $7,000 (CAD)
  • Deadline: York Internal deadline Thursday, February 18th

This program is open for applications for the 2021-22 academic year. This program can provide up to CAD $7,000 for research and/or teaching activities in eligible Latin American or Caribbean countries. Once you have completed the application paperwork please submit them through this York International Application Form on or before the internal deadline.

If you are interested in taking part in the program, please first prepare and complete the following paperwork:

  1. Letter of invitation from the host institution
  2. Your CV
  3. Faculty Mobility Program Project budget template
  4. Privacy Notice Statement

York International will then submit to Global Affairs Canada on behalf of York University by the national/external deadline of February 25th. For any questions, contact David Cuff at dcuff@yorku.ca.

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.

RSC Medals and Awards Competition

Deadline: March 31st, 2021

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has officially launched this year’s medal competition. This is an invitation to celebrate and acknowledge a peer, a colleague, or a leader by submitting a nomination for the 2021 Medals & Awards of the RSC.  Find more information about the RSC nomination process here. Faculty members interested in submitting an application should contact Ravi de Costa, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, at adres@yorku.ca.

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.

Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship

Value: $100,000 USD awarded annually for two years starting in the fall of 2021
Deadline: February 16, 2021 at 12:00 pm (EST)

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.

York University may submit up to three nominations. This nomination process will include an internal selection process to determine York University’s nominees. Selected nominees will then be invited by Microsoft to submit proposals. Faculties should submit internal nomination materials to the Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives team via email to Abby Vogus at avogus@yorku.ca by noon on February 16th.

Mitacs and Scotiabank - Scotiabank Economic Resilience Research Fund

Value: The funding is broken down into the following contribution structure:
- Charity/NFP in Canada $3,750
- Scotiabank $3,750
- Mitacs $7,500

Duration: 4-6 months

Deadlines: Stage 1 Expression of Interest due at agency on Thursday, February 11, 2021

Mitacs and Scotiabank have partnered to create the Scotiabank Economic Resilience Research Fund (SERRF) to advance economic resilience in communities across Canada. Interns must be Full-time graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at Mitacs partner colleges and universities in Canada. If you are interested in applying to this competition, please contact Rachel Sung, Mitacs Business Development Specialist at sungr@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.


External Grants
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