The Office of Research Services wishes to advise all members of the Lakehead University research community regarding essential security protocols when traveling to the United States for research purposes, conferences, or academic activities.

Global Affairs Canada has established specific guidance and resources that all researchers should be aware of prior to undertaking travel to the United States. These protocols have been developed to ensure the safety, security, and successful completion of international research activities.

CAUT TRAVEL ADVISORY UPDATE

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has recently issued an important supplement to their advisory on travel to the United States. CAUT strongly recommends that academics review options for remote attendance and travel only if necessary. They advise particular caution for:

• Researchers whose work could be perceived as being at odds with current US administration positions

• Those who have expressed negative opinions about the US administration or its policies

• Citizens or residents of countries with diplomatic tensions with the US

• Travelers with passport stamps from certain countries

• Transgender travelers or those whose documents indicate a sex other than their sex assigned at birth

 For the full CAUT advisory, please visit the CAUT News Article

Key Travel Security Protocols:

1. Review the official Travel Advice Page for the United States: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-states

2. Register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/registration

3. Note emergency contact information for Canadian Citizen Services in the US: 1-844-880-6519

4. Additional emergency contacts include:

• Toll-free: 1-888-949-9993

• Collect calls: +1 613-996-8885

• Text message: +1 613-686-3658

• WhatsApp: +1 613-909-8881

• Email: sos@international.gc.ca

• X/Twitter: @TravelGoC and @CanadaFP

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelGoC

Lakehead University Travel Recommendations

When traveling to the United States, it is advisable for researchers to familiarize themselves with the health insurance coverage provided through the University benefits. To review the specifics of your travel-related benefits, please consult your benefits booklet, which can be accessed via your Green Shield account or through the Human Resources benefits webpage.

In addition to the benefits booklet, please refer to the Travel Benefits Booklet, which is available on the travel webpage. This document provides comprehensive information regarding travel-related coverage, including emergency contact numbers and steps to follow in case of an emergency.

Key Points to Remember:

• Verify Your Coverage: It is important to review your travel benefits thoroughly to ensure you understand what is covered, including medical services while abroad.

• Emergency Protocol: In the event of an emergency, it is essential to follow the correct procedures to ensure your coverage is activated. Failure to confirm eligibility or obtain necessary authorizations could result in additional out-of-pocket expenses or a lack of coverage.

• Contact Information: If you have specific questions regarding your coverage or need assistance in locating information in your benefits booklet, please contact Green Shield directly. For general inquiries or assistance with benefits-related questions, you may also reach out to benefits.hr@lakeheadu.ca.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with this information before your trip to ensure you are properly prepared.

Electronic Device Security Alert

The Office of Research Services has received reports of increased scrutiny of electronic devices at US border crossings. Border officials may request access to phones, laptops, and other devices, with the possibility of examining content that could be deemed politically sensitive or controversial, which could lead to refusal of entry.

As the CAUT advisory notes, searches of electronic devices may compromise research confidentiality and academic freedom. Recent incidents include academics being denied entry after border officials discovered content on their devices that was perceived as critical of US policies.

To minimize potential complications, we strongly recommend that researchers:

1. Travel with minimal electronic devices when possible

2. Use dedicated travel devices containing only the essential information needed for your trip

3. Prior to travel, review and remove any content that could potentially be considered controversial

4. Consider cloud storage solutions that can be accessed after crossing the border via a secure VPN

5. Be aware that social media accounts, email, and other digital content may be subject to examination

6. Ensure all devices have strong password protection and encryption

7. Carefully consider whether your research content could be perceived as controversial, given the current US political climate

The Office of Research Services strongly recommends adherence to these protocols to mitigate potential risks and ensure uninterrupted research activities while abroad.

For specific travel security inquiries, Global Affairs Canada's Travel Advice, Outreach and Engagement Division may be contacted directly at: Outreach-Mobilisation.CEA@international.gc.ca

The Office of Research Services is closely monitoring international research security developments and will provide additional guidance as circumstances warrant.

For further information or to discuss specific concerns, please contact Andrew Austin, Research Security and Data Management Specialist, Office of Research Services at security.research@lakeheadu.ca or by telephone at Ext. 8190.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Overview

• Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s workforce through business partnerships by offering internships.  
• Indigenous Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Indigenous Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s Indigenous workforce through business partnerships by offering internships to Indigenous persons.

Under this program, covering both streams, Lakehead University has a quota of five research-related placements.  Of these five, two will become available this year:  One will be available at the end of May 2025 and the other one will become available at the end of September 2025.  The internal deadline for the submission of internship applications to the Office of Research Services is May 5, 2025.   Please note that you will need to create an account on the NOHFC website in order to create an application, however please do not submit your application to the NOHFC.   Instead,  please email a copy of your application as a PDF file to Andrew Hacquoil, Research Facilitator (Institutional Programs), Office of Research Services, at ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca. 

If more than two internship applications are received, an internal competition will need to be held.   Applications will be reviewed and ranked by the Senate Research Committee (SRC).  The SRC will then make a recommendation to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation regarding which applications should be submitted to the NOHFC. Please note that preference will be given to applicants who have not held an NOHFC research intern in the past three years.

Lakehead University is pleased to again announce  two programs in support of community-engaged research with community organizations, not-for-profit partners, as well as Indigenous communities and partners. We invite all tenure-track, tenured and three-year limited-term appointment Lakehead faculty members who are eligible to apply to the disciplines supported by SSHRC to submit applications to either the 2025 Community-Engaged Research Grant (CERG) Program or to the Indigenous Research Capacity Development Grant (IRCDG) Program. Applicants are not eligible to submit applications to both programs.  The deadline for applying is March 24, 2025. For both of these calls, Lakehead University will provide total funding of $60,000 for the following types of research initiatives:

1.    Research funds to support community-engaged research where there is evidence of an existing partnership with a community organization or Indigenous community (up to $15,000 over one year).

2.   Partnership development seed funds to support planning activities with new community partners and/or Indigenous Communities, including travel, meetings, workshops, etc. (up to $7,500) over a one-year period).

For more information, please click here.

NSERC's Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program supports the training and mentoring of teams of highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad through the development of innovative training programs that:

• encourage collaborative and integrative approaches, and address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada’s research priorities, and 
• facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce

For this year's competition, the NSERC CREATE program will still include the regular and international streams (as in the past, the international stream is linked to the German research foundation, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)). The 2026 CREATE competition will also involve a special theme area related to genomics.  Internal expressions of interest are due in the Office of Research March 3, 2025.  For information on Lakehead's NSERC CREATE LOI allocation as well the internal submission process, please click here.

The purpose of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Fund (UROF) is to support third- and fourth-year undergraduate research projects that are being conducted in partnership with a community partner within a municipality. Each application can request up to $1,000 to support eligible project costs. The UROF is meant to foster undergraduate students’ interest in research and support them in experiential learning under the supervision of a Lakehead University faculty member. Deadline for applications: February 14, 2025.

For more information, please click here.

The Lakehead University Research Chairs Program recognizes high-quality research, scholarly and creative achievement, by providing a two‐year research grant to support an individual’s program of research. The LURC program is a key initiative in retaining outstanding research talent at our institution, a goal consistent with Lakehead’s Research Plan. Lakehead University is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in all aspects of the University. Lakehead recognizes the value in all types of research, including but not limited to non-traditional research areas, both traditional and non-traditional research outputs, and community-based research, in addition to the value in mentoring, professional service, the formation of partnerships, and outreach activities.

Lakehead University is seeking applications for two (2) new 2025-2027 Lakehead University Research Chairs, one (1) in the disciplines supported by SSHRC/CIHR and one (1) in the disciplines supported by NSERC/CIHR.

Value of Award
Up to $45,000 as a research grant (up to $22,500/year) tenable over two years beginning April 1, 2025. 
 
Application Process
Applications must be submitted via the Romeo Research Portal no later than 4:30 PM on March 1, 2025. For more information, please refer to the following link for the LURC call for applications and eligibility details.  Please contact Anne Klymenko, Director, Research Services at aklymenk@lakeheadu.ca any additional questions regarding this call.

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) – Workforce Development Stream / Indigenous Workforce Development Stream Regular (administrative) Internships:  

• One Position Available

Overview

Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s workforce through business partnerships by offering internships.  

Indigenous Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Indigenous Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s Indigenous workforce through business partnerships by offering internships to Indigenous persons.

Lakehead University will have one NOHFC administrative-related internship (out of its quota of two administrative-related placements) become available after the end of November 2024 through the NOHFC Workforce Development / Indigenous Workforce Development Streams.  The internal deadline for the submission of regular internship applications to the Office of Research is December 2, 2024. Please email a copy of your NOHFC application to Andrew Hacquoil, Research Facilitator (Institutional Programs), Office of Research, at ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca.  Do not submit your application to the NOHFC. Note that you will need to create an account on the NOHFC website in order to create an application. If more than one application is received, an internal competition will need to be held to determine which application will be submitted to the NOHFC.  Final decisions will be made by the Executive Team Working Group.

• Important Note:  Under this NOHFC administrative internship call, priority will be given to applications from Lakehead University administrative units.

Eligible Candidates/Costs

Salaries/wages and employer’s portion of Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs) (e.g.: Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, mandatory minimum vacation pay, as per Employment Standards Act) for a limited-term internship position of 52 weeks (with at least 35 hours of work per week) for candidates that:

• Are new entrants into the workforce, are transitioning to a new career, or the unemployed or underemployed who are entering a new field;
• Have not previously participated in a NOHFC-funded internship;
• Are at least 18 years of age; and
• Reside, and be legally entitled to work, in Canada.
• For the Indigenous Workforce Development Stream:  Identify as an Indigenous person, including First Nation, Metis, or Inuit.  

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

• The extent to which the position addresses a labour shortage or supports the development of a skilled trade or profession in Northern Ontario;
• The opportunity for the placement to result in a full-time, permanent job with the applicant or another Northern Ontario business;*
• The quality of the skill development opportunity and the potential for the position to provide specific and recognizable transferable skills, and 
• The quality of the position’s work/training plan and direct onsite supervision methods.   

*Please note that applicants, in order to demonstrate the possibility of the internship resulting in permanent employment, must outline in their application:

• How the internship could result in a permanent job with the applicant, or

• How the skills and training acquired by the intern by working with the faculty member on the proposed project will make them more employable in a certain field or industry (please give specific examples from your project that will show what skills and training will be acquired by the intern).

Applications that indicate no employment opportunities will result, will be declared ineligible and removed from the internal competition.

Funding

For eligible municipalities, Indigenous communities and not-for-profit organizations, funding is in the form of a conditional contribution of up to 90% of an intern’s salary and employer’s portion of MERCs to a maximum of $35,000 per year. It is important to note that the applicant must provide the remaining 10% of the cost of the intern.  Therefore, when submitting your internship application to the Office of Research Services, A separate statement of where the required matching funds (plus benefits) will come from must be provided as well. This would include the related internal budget code.  Applications submitted by the December 2, 2024 internal deadline without information on matching funds will be considered ineligible in the internal competition. 

Overview

• Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s workforce through business partnerships by offering internships.  
• Indigenous Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Indigenous Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s Indigenous workforce through business partnerships by offering internships to Indigenous persons.

Under this program, covering both streams, Lakehead University has a quota of five research-related placements.  Of these five, two are currently available, and one will be available in January 2025.  The internal deadline for the submission of internship applications to the Office of Research Services is November 1, 2024.   Please note that you will need to create an account on the NOHFC website in order to create an application, however, please do not submit your application to the NOHFC.   Instead,  please email a copy of your application to Andrew Hacquoil, Research Facilitator (Institutional Programs), Office of Research Services, at ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca. 

If more than three internship applications are received, an internal competition will need to be held.   Applications will be reviewed and ranked by the Senate Research Committee (SRC).  The SRC will then make a recommendation to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation regarding which applications should be submitted to the NOHFC.

The Lakehead University Research Chairs Program recognizes high quality research, scholarly and creative achievement, by providing a two‐year research grant to support an individual’s program of research. The LURCs program is a key initiative in retaining outstanding research talent at our institution, a goal consistent with Lakehead’s Research Plan. Lakehead University is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in all aspects of the University. Lakehead recognizes the value of all types of research, including but not limited to non-traditional research areas, both traditional and non-traditional research outputs, and community-based research, in addition to the value in mentoring, professional service, the formation of partnerships, and outreach activities.

On a rotating basis, Lakehead University will award internal Research Chairs in the priority areas identified in the current University Research Plan. These chairs are in addition to the regular Lakehead University Research Chairs.

Lakehead University is seeking applications for one (1) new 2024-2026 Lakehead University Research Chair in Health and Well-Being (LURC-HWB).

Eligibility: All faculty who are full‐time tenure‐track or tenured members of LUFA and have been employed by Lakehead University for at least three years are eligible (please note that applicants applying to the LURC-HWB program must have been employed by Lakehead University for at least three years as of August 30, 2024). Please note that a past limited-term appointment (LTA) at Lakehead University would count towards the three years.  Current or past research chair holders such as CRCs, Industry Research Chairs, LU/TBRHRI Research Chairs, LURCs, Ontario Research Chairs, SHARCNET Chairs, etc., are not eligible to receive this award.  Criteria will be weighted differently for Early Career Researchers as described in the Criteria Section below. Early career researchers (ECR) are applicants who have held their first independent academic position as an LTA, tenure-track or tenured professor within the last five years. Note that the five-year window for being considered an ECR will be adjusted to consider situations where a researcher has had an eligible delay in their research activities because of a leave. All eligible leaves (such as parental, medical, etc.), are credited at twice the amount of leave time taken.  Therefore, the five-year window for being considered as an ECR will be adjusted to take into account situations where a researcher has had an eligible leave of absence which had an impact on their research productivity.  Individuals representing equity-deserving groups, including but not limited to women, racialized minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression are strongly encouraged to apply for these positions. The University recognizes that alternative career paths and/or interruptions (ex. maternity leave, leave due to illness, etc.) can impact research achievements and progress. If these alternative paths or interruptions have impacted an applicant’s research activities, please outline this in the EDI section of your application. The University is committed to ensuring that career interruptions are taken into careful consideration in the assessment of LURC-HWB applications.

Value of Award: Up to $45,000 as a research grant (up to $22,500/year) tenable over two years beginning October 1, 2024. The Chair’s research grant may be used to support the following eligible expenditures: teaching release (Chairs are required to teach a minimum of 1.0 FCE per year), stipends for students, post‐doctoral fellows and research associates, research and conference travel, equipment and grant‐writing support. Chairs must receive the necessary approvals for teaching release using Lakehead University’s Release Time Request (RTS) Form. For purposes of the competition, the signatures of the applicant, chair and dean are required on the RTS form by the deadline. If an applicant is successful and awarded the LURC-HWB, the remainder of the signatures on the RTS form are required. Salary payments to Research Chairs in lieu of teaching release are not an eligible expense.

Application Process: Applications must be submitted via the Romeo Research Portal no later than 4:30 pm on August 30, 2024. The following information will be required as part of the application package:

1. Lakehead University Research Chair application form (available in the Romeo Research Portal);

2. Release Time Stipend Request Form (if requesting release time from teaching);

3. Canadian Common CV (do not use generic CCV, use appropriate Tri‐Council CCV);

4. Three external letters of reference addressing the selection criteria.  At least one of the three letters must be from an individual who is at arm’s length from the applicant. The 3 letters of reference should be signed and submitted as a PDF document to Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Lakehead University and be emailed directly to vpresearch@lakeheadu.ca. Referees must not have a conflict of interest (please note that only one letter of reference must be from an arm’s length referee that does not have a Conflict of Interest (COI).  The COI guidelines do not apply to the other two letters of reference):

• A conflict of interest is a conflict between a person’s duties and responsibilities with regard to the review process, and that person’s private, professional, business or public interests. There may be a real, perceived or potential conflict of interest when the review committee member, external reviewer, referee or observer:
  • would receive professional or personal benefit resulting from the nomination being reviewed;
  • have a professional or personal relationship with the nominee or the nominee’s institution; or
  • have a direct or indirect financial interest in the nomination being reviewed.

       A conflict of interest may be deemed to exist or perceived as such when referees:

• are a relative or close friend, or have a personal relationship with the nominee;
• are in a position to gain or lose financially/materially from the funding of the nomination;
• have had long-standing scientific or personal differences with the nominee;
• are currently affiliated with the nominee’s institution, organization or company —including research hospitals and research institutes;
• are closely professionally affiliated with the nominee, as a result of having in the last six years:
  • frequent and regular interactions with the nominee in the course of their duties at their department, institution, organization or company;
  • been a supervisor or a trainee of the nominee;
  • collaborated, published or shared funding with the nominee, or have plans to do so in the immediate future; or,
  • been employed by the nominating institution; and/or
  • feel for any reason unable to provide an impartial review of the nomination.

The VPRI reserves the right to resolve areas of uncertainty and to determine if a conflict exists.

5. Supporting letter from the Faculty Dean:  The Dean's letter of support should be addressed to Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Lakehead University and be emailed directly to vpresearch@lakeheadu.ca.

Selection Process and Criteria: The Vice‐President, Research and Innovation shall appoint a Lakehead University Research Chair Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will review all submitted nominations and make its recommendations to the Vice‐President, Research and Innovation. The Lakehead University Research Chairs Selection Committee will review all eligible Lakehead University Research Chair applications using the following evaluation criteria:

Research Track Record (Weighting:  40%; 20% ECRs)

• be outstanding and innovative researchers whose accomplishments have made a major impact in their fields. The Committee will recognize and value all types of research and their outputs, including but not limited to non-traditional research areas, both   traditional and non-traditional research outputs, and community-based research;
• be recognized nationally and/or internationally as leaders in their fields;
• have a track‐record of attracting external research funding and fostering external partnerships;
• have an excellent record of mentoring undergraduate students, supervising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (taking into account circumstances in the Academic Unit or practices in the relevant field or discipline) and as Chairs have the potential to attract excellent trainees and future researchers;
• have a record of participating in collaborative interdisciplinary research and contributing to research capacity building at Lakehead University (e.g., development of new graduate programs or outreach activities).

Research Proposal (Weighting 40%; 60% ECRs)

• have proposed an original, innovative research program of high quality that fits the priority research areas outlined in Lakehead University’s Research Plan.

Letters of Reference and Dean's Letter (Weighting 20%; 20% ECRs)

Each Chair will also be required to submit to the Vice‐President, Research and Innovation, and their Faculty Dean a report highlighting their activities and accomplishments during their term as a Lakehead University Research Chair at the end of their award period.

For additional information regarding the application process, please contact Anne Klymenko, Director, Research Services at director.research@lakeheadu.ca