Connaught Summer Institute – Guidelines

"The primary purpose of the Fund is the promotion of research and the application of the professional expertise and resources of the University to matters of public interest in all research fields. ...Connaught funds shall be used to support outstanding research by individuals or groups of scholars in the University. Grants are intended to encourage research of exceptional calibre or the development of new areas of research by scholars of outstanding achievement. Awards will be made in accordance with the most exacting standards of peer review."

Excerpt from the Connaught Fund Terms of Reference

Application Deadline: October 1, 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to bring together Canadian and international graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, other scholars in order to foster rich interdisciplinarycollaboration and creative new methods for research and innovation. The successful institute will build networks within the U of T and heighten the University’s international profile. The activities of the participants will not be normal training of researchers nor the normal exchange that occurs in a conference. The preferred model is a workshop where top scholars in a field are engaging with younger scholars and intense interaction is facilitated.

The program therefore does not support proposals that build mainly upon a typical conference. In the case where a conference is an important and necessary part of a successful Summer Institute, then the conference program must clearly demonstrate the participative nature of the event and how opportunities for discussion and development of new ideas will be incorporated.

The structure of an Institute is expected to include:

  • Tenured or tenure-stream faculty at the U of Trecruited across Departments and/or Faculties by the Project Leader(s)
  • Graduate Students, selected from U of T and/or other leading international universities
  • Meeting of 1-2 weeks in the summer for a total award of up to $150,000 for up to 3 year duration. The 2nd and 3rd year funding, where applicable, is subject to successful review of progress to date. Successful awardees are therefore required to submit annual progress reports to the Connaught Secretariat for review.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include full-time tenured and tenure-stream faculty at the University. CLTAs and other non-tenure stream faculty are not eligible. Final determination of eligibility will be made upon receipt of an application.

Application

Connaught Summer Institute applications are to be made using the form available on the website and are to be submitted electronically in PDF format as one file using the naming convention: LastFirst_SI_2015, via MRA (My Research Applications).The deadline isOctober 1,2015with results to be communicated by January 2016.

In light of the program objective, it is expected that a successful Summer Institute will reach out to a broad U of T community, involving faculty, students, and other scholars from multiple Departments and/or Faculties. A project teamthat is limited to single Department may not be funded.

Adjudication

Normally, one new award will be made annually. Submissions will be adjudicated by an Interdisciplinary Review Panel convened by the Connaught Committee. Given the breadth of research activity presented to the Panel, submissions should be written with a non-specialist audience in mind. Applications will be judged solely on the basis of the information supplied in the submission, no supplemental information is permitted.

Award recommendations are formulated by the Panel for the Connaught Committee. The Connaught Committee makes final decisions on all Connaught awards.

Evaluation Critaria

Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:

  • Anticipated significance or impact on the relevant area(s) of research
  • Quality of the proposed Institute
  • Benefits to the University and the greater public
  • The project team’s records of research achievements
  • Appropriateness of the budget including the budget justification
  • Level of interdisciplinary collaboration

Eligible Costs

Eligible expenses are to be consistent with the appropriate tri-agency guidelines for NSERC Discovery grants, CIHR Open Operating Grants or SSHRC Insight grants. Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to, proposal development, stipends to U of T faculty members, purchase of books and re-design of a curriculum. In cases where honoraria or similar payments in nature are included in the budget, the review panel expects to see a justification explaining the need and whether the payment amount aligns with normal practice in the research area.

Questions

Inquiries regarding this program should be addressed to Michael Hussey, Research Funding Officer, Internal Programs, at 416-978-3211 or

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