The Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI) is pleased to announce another call for proposals through the LUARS Agricultural Research Capacity Development Program.

Specific priority areas have been identified for this competition. While applications from outside these areas will be accepted, priority will be given to proposals that address one or more of the following topics:

• Greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and the circular economy
• Increase of farm lands and farm viability
• Agricultural research and knowledge transfer co-developed with Indigenous communities
• Soil health
• Agri-business

Research projects that are based at LUARS and address the emerging regional research needs of the economy of Northwestern Ontario will receive priority.

Eligibility: The LUARS Agricultural Research Capacity Development Program is open to all full-time, tenure-track and tenured faculty members.

Grants Available: Up to $50,000 total per project will be available for projects ranging from 1-3 years. Projects that leverage matching funds from industry and community organizations are highly encouraged. Both cash and in-kind contributions will be considered eligible for matching.

Funds may be used to support the following:

1.    Research expenses, including supplies, materials, equipment, and travel;

2.    Stipends or salary support for the training of students; and

3.    Organization of workshops and conferences involving community partners with the goal of expanding LUARS-relevant research.

Deadline: Thursday, November 30, 2023

All applications must be submitted through the Romeo Research Portal. Additional details and requirements can be found here.

Introduction

All faculty members with tenured or tenure-track positions at Lakehead University are invited to submit applications to Lakehead University’s Fall internal 2023 Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) competition.  The deadline for the internal competition will be October 31, 2023.  

Please note that up to $176,000 (CFI portion only) from Lakehead's JELF allocation has been allocated to this competition to support a total investment of up to $440,000 in research infrastructure.  Researchers are required to secure the required 20% matching funds in order to be eligible to apply.

Internal Review of Applications

In order to support research excellence and ensure fairness and transparency in the distribution of these funds, applications will be reviewed by an internal CFI JELF peer review committee  which will rank the applications and then make recommendations to the Vice-President Research, and Innovation.

Eligibility and Application Process

The JELF "enables a select number of an institution’s excellent researchers to undertake leading-edge research by providing them with the foundational research infrastructure required to be or become leaders in their field. In turn, this enables institutions to remain internationally competitive in areas of research and technology development, aligned with their strategic priorities."

The candidate(s) listed in the proposal must be:

• A recognized innovative leader or have demonstrated the potential for excellence in the proposed research field(s);

• Engaged in or embarking upon research/ technology development that is original, internationally competitive and of high quality; and

• A current faculty member with a full-time academic appointment or a candidate that the institution is in the process of recruiting to a full-time academic position in an area of strategic importance.

The JELF is intended to serve the infrastructure needs of individual faculty, or groups of up to three faculty members where there is a need to share infrastructure.

Preference to applicants will given in the following order:

• Early Career Researchers (ECR) -  (applicants who have obtained their first independent academic position within the last five years).

• Applications for shared research infrastructure to be located in the Lakehead University Instrumentation Laboratory or LUCAS laboratory (a letter of support from the Laboratory Director must be included in the application).

• All other tenured or tenure-track or tenured faculty members (candidates who have received funding in the past previously been supported  through the JELF, Leaders Opportunities Fund, New Opportunities Fund or Canada Research Chairs Infrastructure Fund are eligible for funding under the JELF; however a justification for the need for the infrastructure and complementarity of the value-added of a subsequent award is required).

Please note that applicants who have held a CFI JELF grant in the past three years are not eligible to apply. Application forms and guidelines are available by referring to the CFI's website.

Candidates must be recognized leaders in their field of research, or show promise of becoming research leaders. They must be engaged in, or embarking on, an innovative research program for which the infrastructure is essential and which will provide an enriched research training environment. CFI JELF applications must also fit with the research priorities outlined in Lakehead University's Research Plan. 

In addition to meeting general CFI eligibility requirements, infrastructure items for JELF candidates must be essential for the research program of the candidate(s). If the requested items have been purchased or received, they must be obtained as an in-kind contribution no more than six months before the date of submission of the application.

Checklist for a Complete Application

Complete CFI JELF applications for the internal competition must be submitted to the Office of Research Services by the internal deadline and must consist of:

• 1.   CFI JELF Application Forms (CFI Award Management System)- Please use the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) – Unaffiliated version of the form.

• 2.    CFI Request for Quotations Form- plus one quote for each major equipment item.

• 3.    CFI Internal Budget Worksheet and one quotation in CFI format for all equipment/renovation items.

• 4.     Letter from the relevant dean confirming support for application and confirming space. Space must be confirmed by the internal application deadline.* 

• 5.  Projects requiring renovations** must include:

  • a cost estimate (from Physical Plant) prior to the internal application deadline.

  • Evidence of the required cash contributions to offset the 20% matching fund requirements.

• 6. Completed Internal Research Proposal Approval Form

• 7.  Regarding re-submissions: Applicants who have been unsuccessful in previous internal or external competitions must provide a letter summarizing how the peer review committee’s feedback has been considered and incorporated into the new application.

• 8.  If applicable:  Applications for shared research infrastructure to be located in the Lakehead University Instrumentation Laboratory or LUCAS laboratory must include a letter of support from the Laboratory Director).

• 9.  CFI JELF internal checklist.

*Note: If any CFI infrastructure is to be located outside of Lakehead University, please note that  Lakehead must still  ". . . exercise de facto control over the research infrastructure, including assuming responsibility for its access and for the associated scientific programming" (CFI Policy and Program Guide).   In such cases, a letter of support from the organization that would be hosting the infrastructure must be attached to the internal CFI application.  

The letter must specify:

• The organization's agreement to host the CFI-funded infrastructure (with Lakehead maintaining de facto control).
• Agreement to allow the Project Leader full access to the space and if there were renovations involved in making the space ready to house the equipment, the receiving organization is required to agree to the renovations to their space.

If the CFI funding is subsequently awarded, an inter-institutional agreement would need to be signed between Lakehead and the receiving organization outlining the above terms and conditions.

**Note:  Please note that if renovations are not required as part of acquiring and installing the requested infrastructure, the applicant(s) must indicate in the CFI application why renovations are not required (including confirmation from Physical Plant).

CFI Funding Formula and Matching Funds

Please note that the CFI JELF program will contribute up to 40% towards infrastructure costs, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities' Ontario Research Fund will contribute 40% and the remaining 20% must be found from other sources by the researcher. Funds from CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, as well as Tri-Council programs (e.g. the Networks of Centres of Excellence and the Canada Research Chairs) are not considered to be acceptable funding partners. However, the CFI will allow the cost of eligible item(s) to be covered in part by the aforementioned funding sources, provided that this portion is not used to leverage CFI funds. Equipment discounts beyond the best educational price are eligible as in-kind contributions towards the 20% matching funds required.

CFI JELF applications must include confirmation of the required matching funds. If the matching funds are to be provided by the private sector or other external agency, a letter of support outlining their commitment must accompany the application. If the 20% matching fund is provided in the form of a "discount beyond best educational price" by a supplier, a copy of the quotation must be included showing:

• List Price
• Best Educational Price (if a company does not offer academic or educational discounts, this should be specified in the quote or CFI Request for Quotations Form)
• Discount Beyond Best Educational Price (the in-kind or CFI contribution)
• Net CFI Price

Researchers must use Lakehead University's CFI Request for Quotations Form to ensure quotations meet CFI eligibility requirements. A CFI Internal budget worksheet must be completed and submitted along with copies of the equipment quotations used to complete the CFI form. Note that only "discounts beyond best educational price" are eligible.  Please note that project leaders should be aware that once the relevant taxes (3.41% HST) are applied to the total cost of the requested infrastructure in the application budget, the contribution by a vendor may actually work out to slightly less than the required 20%. Additional matching funds may be required to make up the resulting short-fall.

Researchers should note as well that a 10% cost increase has been added to the cash and in-kind formulas for each item in the CFI Internal Budget Worksheet. This is as a guard against inflation and exchange rate fluctuations.

If you have any doubts regarding the eligibility of your matching funds, please call Andrew Hacquoil in the Office of Research Services for advice.

Please note that LU start-up grants may be used towards the matching fund requirement whether it has been spent during the six months prior to the CFI JELF external deadline (February 15, 2024) or will be spent on the research infrastructure. Funds from start-up grants are to be shown as a cash contribution from the institution, not in-kind (as per CFI guidelines). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all in-kind contributions are eligible in accordance with CFI's guidelines.

Renovations to Space

Requests for renovations to new space (not currently allocated to the applicant) must be approved by the Lakehead University’s Space Committee prior to the internal deadline. Researchers should be aware that renovation costs can also include such expenses as changes to a space in order to accommodate a piece of equipment that has special power requirements, or environmental cooling (for example). If an application is to include renovations in the budget, researchers must contact Kevin Schlyter in Physical Plant far in advance of the October 31, 2023 internal deadline to arrange for a cost estimate. Applications that do not accurately reflect costs may be deemed ineligible for consideration. Additional information is available on-line at the Lakehead University Physical Plant website.  

Should you have any questions regarding the CFI JELF program, please contact Andrew Hacquoil at ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca. Additional information regarding the CFI program can be obtained by referring to the following website: CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund.

Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) 2024 - EOI
FACULTY EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - EOI Deadline June 30, 2023 (Full submission July 21, 2023)  - Google Form:  by June 30th, 2023.
The Queen Elizabeth Scholars program provides funding for a program of exchange of students in support of collaboration initiatives and academic diplomacy.  Universities are limited to the submission of a single institutional application. For this funding cycle, Lakehead International and Research and Innovation are collaborating to develop a joint institutional proposal. Please note that the QES program is a highly competitive program with an anticipated funding of 6-7 projects across Canada.
Please note that we are soliciting ideas, not commitments, at this stage.  For more information, please click here.  Please contact Jill Sherman, intl.research@lakeheadu.ca, for more information.

The 2023 call is open for the VPRI International Research Partnership Awards (IRPA), 2023.  Seed grants of up to CAD 10,000 are available to full-time faculty members to establish or expand international research collaborations.  Apply though the ROMEO Research Portal.  For questions, please contact Jill Sherman, intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.  For more information, please click here.

Background

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellows (BPDF) program is a very prestigious and competitive postdoctoral fellowship program supported by the Government of Canada.  Please refer to the program website for the latest guidelines. The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is designed to support world-class postdoctoral researchers. The fellowship provides $70,000 per year for two years. The program is open to both Canadian and international researchers who have recently completed a PhD, PhD- equivalent, or health professional degree.

Applications must be completed in full collaboration with the proposed host institution.  As a potential host institution, Lakehead University is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals including women, racialized persons, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities and other equity-seeking groups. All qualified candidates are therefore encouraged to apply.

Since this is an extremely competitive program and only a limited number of BPDFs are awarded each year, universities have put in place internal peer review processes to review and facilitate the submission of the strongest applicants to the Banting Program.  The Banting program expects universities to be highly selective in their endorsement of applications and to only put forward the highest quality of applicants.

The BPDF differs from traditional funding programs in that its specific emphasis is on the synergy between the applicant and the proposed institution. It is important to note that a BPDF applicant must be able to demonstrate how their proposed Banting-funded research is a strong fit with both their supervisor and Lakehead University's Research Plan priorities.

An internal peer review committee will be appointed by the Vice-President Research and Innovation and will rank/recommend applicants to be submitted to the program (with the final approval of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation).  The Committee will include representatives from equity seeking groups. All committee members will be required to have reviewed the resources available on the Banting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page, and to complete the  Tri-agency unconscious bias training module.

Lakehead University’s Internal Application and Selection Process

Procedures and Timelines  

June 10, 2023:  After a potential candidate has contacted and finalizes arrangements with a proposed Lakehead University supervisor, by June 10, 2023, the supervisor informs the Office of Research Services (ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca) that an application will be submitted as part of the internal process). It is at this time that our internal Banting Review Committee will be set-up.

July 10, 2023:  Deadline for submission of complete Banting application packages. As part of the internal review process, candidates will be required to complete the online Banting application and submit supporting documents. Please submit your package as a single PDF file to the Office of Research (to Andrew Hacquoil, Research Facilitator, Institutional Programs, at ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca).  Incomplete applications will not be accepted.*  The Office of Research will check application packages for completeness and eligibility of applicants.

Checklist

*The following components of the BPDF application (which can all be found in the official Application Guide on the BPDF website) are required by the internal deadline of July 10 (please note the three referee letters are not required as part of the internal submission package):

●    [   ] CCV - using the Vanier-Banting academic template

●    [   ] Banting application details - a pdf file of the actual application that is completed in ResearchNet (a pdf file of the preview version is required.  Please note that this is NOT a print screen); normally 5-6 pages)

●    [   ] Significance of Research Contributions - maximum of one page

●    [   ] Significance of Leadership Contributions - maximum of one page

●    [   ] Fulfillment of degree requirements form - this form is required even if PhD has not yet been completed (for Lakehead University applicants that have not yet completed their PhD, this form must be completed by the relevant academic unit's graduate coordinator).

●    [   ] Special Circumstances, if applicable – maximum of one page (including justification for remaining in the same research environment where the candidate received their PhD). 

●    [   ] Research Proposal – maximum of four pages

●    [   ] Bibliography – maximum of four pages

●     [   ] Attachment: Supervisor's statement – to be completed by the proposed supervisor - maximum of four pages

August 10, 2023:  Internal peer review committee completes internal peer review of applications and submits recommendations to the Vice-President Research and Innovation.  

August 14, 2023:  Notification of successful and unsuccessful applicants and their proposed supervisors. A summary of the feedback from the internal review committee on the BPDF application  will be provided by the Office of Research Services to both successful and unsuccessful applicants and their mentors.  Applicants who are successful in the internal competition will be assigned to a Research Facilitator in the Office of Research Services who will work with the applicant and supervisor on improving the quality of the application considering all feedback available to the applicant.      

September 7, 2023:  Full applications are due to the assigned Research Facilitator in the Office of Research Services for final review.

September 14, 2023:  Institutional support letter provided to the successful applicant(s) 

*All applicants to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship must follow the internal application process set by the Office of Research Services. A key part of the Banting application process is the institutional support letter. Applicants that do not follow this process will not receive institutional support (see below).  Only applications that have been received by our internal deadline and successfully reviewed by our internal peer review committee will be considered for submission to the Banting Program.

University Support

Please note that for the purposes of submission, Lakehead University is willing to make the following contributions to Banting applications that are submitted through our internal process:

For Banting applications ultimately successful in the national competition,  the Vice President, Research and Innovation (VPRI) will contribute a minimum of $5,000.  In addition, the VPRI will contribute an additional $2,500 if matched by an additional $2,500 from the respective Faculty Dean for a potential institutional contribution of $10,000.  The match from the Dean must be requested by the proposed postdoctoral fellow supervisors and confirmed in writing by the internal deadline date of July 10, 2023.

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 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 2023-2025 Lakehead University Research Chairs, one (1) in the disciplines supported by SSHRC/CIHR and one (1) in the disciplines supported by NSERC/CIHR.

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 program must have been employed by Lakehead University for at least three years as of March 1, 2023, the start of the LURC chair). 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 take into account situations where a researcher has had an eligible delay in their research activities as a result 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, members of visible 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 applications.

Value of Award: Up to $45,000 as a research grant (up to $22,500/year) tenable over two years beginning March 1, 2023. 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 an LURC, the rest 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 January 31, 2023. 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.  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 COI.  The Conflict of Interest 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 3 letters of reference and 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 (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