2018 Call for Applications - SSHRC Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs

The CRC program aims to attract and retain in Canada accomplished and promising researchers. The allocation of the 2000 Canada Research Chairs (CRC) to Canadian universities by the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) is conducted every 2 or 3 years and is based on research funding received by researchers from the three federal granting agencies. Each university receives a CRC allocation that it can use according to a set of rules. The decision to name Canada Research Chairholders is made by the University.

Tier 1 or “Senior” chairs are for outstanding researchers recognized by their peers as world leaders in their fields. These chairs are 7-year positions worth $200,000 per year and can be renewed once.

For more information about the program, consult the CRC website.

In keeping with its recruitment policies (including the “Equal Employment Opportunity Program,” which was adopted in 2008), Université Laval is committed to promoting excellence in research and research training and guaranteeing equal opportunity for all qualified candidates. Université Laval upholds the principle that excellence and equity go hand in hand and recognizes that best practices with regard to employment equity will result in the broadest possible pool of competent candidates.

As required by the CRC program, Université Laval has published an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan with a view to increasing the representation of women, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities among Canada Research Chairholders at our institution. In order to fulfill these commitments, the selected candidates must self-identify as belonging to at least one of these underrepresented groups.

For further details, please visit the equity, diversity, and inclusion webpage.

Applications must be submitted by faculty deans. Each faculty can submit a limited number of applications (PDF).

• VRRCI submission deadline: February 26, 2018
• Results announced by the VRRCI: week of March 19, 2018
• TIPS (federal) submission deadline: April 23, 2018

Eligibility

Faculties can submit applications for current Université Laval professors and outside candidates. Canadian and foreign outside candidates are defined as follows:

• Professors who have been employed full time by the university for less than one year
• or foreign researchers who are working outside of Canada at the time of nomination. For such cases, please contact Jean-Phillippe Marquis for more information.

Applicants for Tier 1 chairs must be full professors or associate professors who are close to obtaining tenure.

Excellence of the Applicant

The Canada Research Chair program is based on an unwavering commitment to excellence in research and training. Applicants must demonstrate a significantly greater contribution compared to other researchers working in the same field in Canada (Tier 2) or internationally (Tier 1). This contribution is defined by:

• A publication record that is superior to the reference group average
• Supervision of graduate students; diversity and inclusion of students and research staff will be considered an asset
• Higher levels of funding than the reference group average
• International collaborations (publications, research funding, and knowledge transfer activities)
• A larger number of knowledge transfer activities than the reference group average: e.g., attendance at scientific conferences, radio interviews, publication of results in scientific journals and major newspapers, and knowledge transfer to a community of practice
• Leadership, as evidenced by significant contributions to the development and transfer of knowledge in the applicant’s field of expertise and contributions to the university’s flagship multidisciplinary research platforms

A multidisciplinary assessment committee will assess the applications, produce a report, and make recommendations to the vice-rector of research, creation, and innovation, who will decide which applications will be forwarded to TIPS based on strategic and institutional priorities, including the university’s commitments to diversity and inclusion.

In addition to being diverse, the multidisciplinary assessment committee is composed of at least one professor from each of the three funding sectors (SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR), the equity officer, the director of the Bureau des Chaires et des entitées structurantes, and the advisor responsible for the CRC program, who serves as the committee secretary. All committee members receive clear instructions with regard to their role and mandate, the definition of excellence, and the impact of career interruptions on application assessments. Committee members are also required to take training on unconscious bias and peer assessment.

Assessment Criteria

Applications are assessed based on the following criteria and sub-criteria (see the assessment grid in Appendix 2 - text only available in French):

1. Quality of the candidate
2. Quality of the research program
3. Capacity-building impact
4. Community involvement

The application package includes:

• A letter of support from the dean of the faculty which must:
  • Present the chair’s contribution in terms of capacity building and added value for the faculty and the university, notably with respect to faculty and university strategic priorities
  • Show that the candidate is internationally recognized as an exceptional and innovative researcher conducting world-class work that has had a marked impact in his or her field (Tier 1 Chair)
  • Describe involvement and support from the surrounding community (faculty, research centre, institute, etc.)
  • Describe the selection process and measures taken to encourage applications from underrepresented groups

The letter must supplement the information in the application and focus on aspects that are important to the faculty (priorities and strategic plan) but are not covered in the application. The letter should not include verbatim quotes of any elements that are already part of the application.

• A current copy of the applicant’s curriculum vitae; use a standard CV format (CRC, CCV or a federal council CV—SSHRC, NSERC, or CIHR). Add an appendix to the CV as set out by the CRC (see the format on pages 4–8 of the CRC CV form).
• The UL self-identification form (see Appendix 3 – text only available in French)
•  A complete or summary description of the research program (3–6 pages) as set out in sections 2a to 2f of the CRC nomination form
• A 3-page description of the Chair’s capacity-building impact for the university (i.e., for the researcher, existing research groups, the sponsoring faculty, and the institution in general) and the real and potential benefits. This text must present the applicant’s vision for the research chair, i.e., how the chair will help build capacity in an emerging field or strengthen capacity in a developed field; how the chair will serve as a lever taking research to a higher level; how the chair will help disseminate research more effectively than a traditional program; what steps will be taken to help establish Université Laval as a leader in the field in question.

Jean-Philippe Marquis
Research Development Advisor
418 656-2131, poste 408878
jean-philippe.marquis@vrr.ulaval.ca