the social sciences and humanities research council (sshrc) is pleased to announce once again the initiative for digital citizen research (idcr), a new joint initiative with the department of canadian heritage (pch) and one component of canadian heritage’s digital citizen initiative.  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. 

please note that the deadline for the submission of applications to the connection grants’ arm of idcr is february 1, 2020.  these grants are open to institutions, individual applicants and teams, and provide funding to selected events and outreach activities geared toward short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives. these events and activities represent opportunities to exchange knowledge and engage on research issues related to online disinformation and other related online harms as well as their impact in the canadian context.

please also note that additional funding opportunities are currently offered under this joint initiative.

we would appreciate it if you could circulate this message to researchers at your respective institutions, especially those who are working in the area of online disinformation and may be interested in applying.

for more information on the idcr connection grants special call, please contact:

lauren abrams

program officer

research grants and partnerships division

sshrc

tel.: 613-947-9659

email: lauren.abrams@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

the objective of the blood efficiency accelerator award program is to improve the efficient and appropriate utilization of blood products, while maintaining the safety of the blood system. to achieve this objective, the program will support innovative research projects that seek new knowledge or accelerate the application of existing knowledge.

the collaborative research travel grant (crtg) program provides up to $15,000 in support for relatively unrestricted travel funds to academic scientists (faculty and postdocs) at u.s. or canadian degree-granting institutions.  grants must be used for domestic or international travel to another lab to learn new research techniques or begin or continue a collaboration to address biomedical questions.  all proposals must be cross-disciplinary. 

applicants with a doctoral degree in the physical, mathematical, or engineering sciences working on a biological problem are encouraged to apply.  conversely, proposals from biological scientists who desire to collaborate with a physical scientist, mathematician, or engineer are also encouraged to apply.

apply now join cifar’s global network of nearly 400 fellows, scholars, chairs and advisors from over 22 countries, who are pursuing answers to some of the most important questions facing science and humanity. the cifar azrieli global scholars program provides unrestricted research support of $100,000 cad, leadership training, and mentorship. it's an opportunity for promising early-career researchers in the first five years of a full-time research position to collaborate with colleagues from diverse disciplines. application deadline: february 5, 2020 applicants may be based anywhere in the world, must hold a phd (or equivalent) and be within the first five years of starting a full-time research position at an institution of higher education or research. scholars’ research interests must complement or contribute to the themes and goals of an eligible cifar research program. in 2020, the cifar research programs eligible to accept applications are: child & brain development learning in machines & brains quantum information science quantum materials for more information: cifar.ca/global-scholars

description

the objective of the transformation stream is to support large-scale, canadian-led interdisciplinary research projects that address a major challenge with the potential to realize real and lasting change. the challenge may be fundamental, leading to a scientific breakthrough, or applied, with a social, economic, environmental or health impact. projects are expected to be world-leading, drawing on global research expertise, when relevant.

transformation stream grants will support projects that:

1. tackle a well-defined problem or challenge;
2. propose a novel world-leading approach that is different from the current state-of-the-art approaches to the issue;
3. are interdisciplinary, bringing different perspectives to the defined problem; and
4. have the potential to be transformative, defined as the potential to create a significant and real change or impact—a noticeable leap or tangible breakthrough rather than an incremental advance.

the definition of transformative is linked to the canada foundation for innovation’s proposed definition of convergence research (pdf, 726 kb), where “convergence research is increasingly seen as the way to solve pressing challenges.” it is aligned with the national science foundation’s definition of convergence research, focusing on research driven by a specific and compelling problem and deep integration across disciplines. it also has strong parallels to horizon europe in its reference to mission-oriented research and innovation with bold and concrete objectives to respond to societal challenges.

value and duration

transformation grants are valued at between $2,000,000 and $4,000,000 per year (including indirect costs) for up to six years.

the maximum budget for the direct costs of the research project is $3,200,000 per year, and the minimum budget is $1,600,000. applicants must request a budget (value and duration) commensurate with the objectives of the project. applicants may also add up to 25% of the value of the direct costs of research to cover indirect costs and include this in the total funding request. this portion of the award must be used only to pay for eligible expenses, as outlined on the research support fund website. the component of each award for indirect costs is included in the award value; it is not in addition to it.

eligible expenses related to the direct costs of research are outlined in the tri-agency guide on financial administration that will be made available in the near future. the objective of transformation grants is to support projects with strong potential to make significant change. as a result, funds should be used primarily to support research activities and not for the acquisition or maintenance of infrastructure.

transformation grants are awarded to a nominated principal investigator (npi) in an eligible institution; they are not institutional grants. successful applications will be awarded a grant of up to six years. a mid-term review of all funded projects is mandatory to ensure they are on track to meet objectives within the six-year timeframe. if the mid-term review is unsuccessful, grants may be terminated early. given that research is, by its nature, driven by hypotheses and that outcomes are uncertain, it is understood that approaches, goals and objectives may have to be modified as the project progresses. the mid-term review will evaluate the project’s progress to date and plans for the remaining time, taking this into consideration.