Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) – Research Internship Program Internal Call for Applications: Two Research Internship Positions Available

Overview
NOHFC has recently introduced a new suite of programs.  We are therefore pleased to issue the following call for research internship applications under the NOHFC's People & Talent Program.  Two positions are available:  one will become available at the end of March and the other will become available at the end of May.  The internal deadline for the submission of internship applications to the Office of Research Services is April 14, 2021. Please email a copy of your application to Andrew Hacquoil, Research Grants Officer, Office of Research, at ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca.  Do not submit your application to the NOHFC.   Applications will be reviewed by the Senate Research Committee.
 
  • 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.

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.  
Please note that candidates do not need to be identified at the time of submitting the application and that a recruitment process will be initiated upon notice of award by the NOHFC.


Review Criteria
Applications for both streams will be reviewed according to the same criteria, and the strongest applications will be recommended to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation for submission to the NOHFC:
    • 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
    • The quality of the position’s work/training plan and direct onsite supervision methods
      •    

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 Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs) (e.g.: Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, mandatory minimum vacation pay, as per Employment Standards Act) to a maximum of $35,000 per year. 
 
It is important to note that the applicant must provide the remaining 10% of the total payroll costs for the intern which include salary and MERCs.  MERCs should be calculated at 15% in addition to salary costs.  Therefore, when submitting your internship application to the Office of Research Services, a Research Proposal Approval Form (RPAF) must be included in the package.    A statement of where the required 10% matching funds will come from must be included in, or  attached to the signed and completed RPAF as well.  Applications submitted by the April 14, 2021 internal deadline without an RPAF will be considered ineligible in the internal competition. 
 
 
An Important Note on Research Internships
Please note that for a proposal to be considered as being a research internship, the application must be written so as to meet the NOHFC's definition of research:  
 

Q:  What is a research intern under the Internship Program?

A: An employer applying for a research intern must engage in research activities as part of their mandate. NOHFC considers both pure (scientific) and applied research positions.

 

Pure (scientific) research internships must contribute to the development of documents that are generated for public consumption and peer review.

 

Applied research internships involve conducting studies and research that seeks to solve practical problems and find solutions to everyday problems. This often involves original investigation into the development of new technology, products, and services.

 

For the purpose of defining an applied research internship the following criteria must be met:

a)   The applicant must be involved in research aimed at developing a new technology and or products (i.e. a solution to everyday problem)

b)  The internship duties will focus on assisting the applicant organization in development and research of a new technology, products, or service.

 
Applicants are required to state in their submissions how they meet the NOHFC's criteria for a research internship.  Applications that are not deemed to be research-related (i.e., the duties of the intern will be more administrative in nature instead of involving a research activity) will be considered ineligible in the internal competition. 
 
For More Information
For more information about the NOHFC program and to access the application form, please click here.