Mitacs Scotiabank Economic Resilience Research Fund CFP

To further the understanding of economic resilience, Scotiabank and Mitacs have partnered to create the Scotiabank Economic Resilience Research Fund (SERRF). This $300,000 partnership over three years will support research to advance economic resilience in communities across Canada. 

The objective of SERRF is to: 

• Support the next generation of problem solvers to ensure that students are actively engaged in innovative, useful, and relevant community research
• Enable Canadian NFP organizations and charitable organizations to access talent from academic institutions in order to provide insights related to the economic resilience of Canadian communities
• Narrow the gap between the need for academic research and community impact
• Strengthen relationships between Canadian NFPs and academia through collaboration and knowledge sharing
• Reduce financial barriers for Canadian NFPs to access research expertise
• Increase the number of researchers representing the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) community 
• Continue to inform Scotiabank’s social impact strategy to ensure that it invests for impact 

SERRF Research Themes 

Through this initiative, the partnership will solicit research applications that support the three key themes below:  

1. Accelerate newcomer integration  

Successful and rapid newcomer integration enables financial self-reliance and contribution to society. Canada’s prosperity and economic resilience are closely tied to the number and success of its immigrants. 

Proposed research projects will target newcomers to Canada (in past three years) including immigrants, refugees, and temporary foreign workers to help fast track meaningful employment for newcomers to the country. Integration essentials might include language, culture and life skills, training help qualifying for and finding employment, and support networks.

2. Increase high school graduation and post-secondary participation 

Secondary and post-secondary education increases employment prospects, life opportunities and the likelihood of financial success. 

Proposed research projects will target disadvantaged populations, including Canadian Indigenous communities and at-risk youth to ultimately facilitate a higher rate of high school graduation and post-secondary participation. Post-secondary education is defined broadly, to include university, college, and trades programs.

3. Remove barriers to career advancement for marginalized groups 

Disadvantaged people and groups experience barriers to career entry and advancement more frequently than others. This is both unjust and unproductive. 

Proposed research projects will be targeted to support women, BIPOC, and other equity seeking groups (e.g., persons with disability, veterans, LGBTQ, etc.) to determine how to remove barriers to meaningful employment, reduce the gaps in leadership representation, and find solutions to career entry and advancement. 

What makes a strong proposal? 

Factors critical to a successful SERRF application are as follows: 

• Inclusion of members of the target community, ideally those with lived experience, throughout the development and implementation of the researchThe research being conducted is filling a gap in knowledge across the ecosystem related to one of the three key themes outlined above 
• The knowledge gained will be impactful to the charity/NFP sector and beyond with the intention to disseminate the results of the research
• Presence of an experienced academic supervisor at the intern’s institution to help guide the development of the project, and ensure research rigour and adherence to academic standards 

• The project creates a meaningful experience for the eligible intern to apply their skills in a non-academic environment and broaden their network