Research Grant Program

The Research Grant Program promotes research that contributes to a better knowledge and understanding of Canada, its relationship with the United States, and its international affairs. The grant is designed to assist individual scholars, or a team of scholars, in writing an article-length manuscript of publishable quality and reporting their findings in a scholarly publication and at scholarly conferences, thus contributing to the development of expertise on Canada in the United States. We welcome efforts to integrate the research findings into the applicant's teaching load.

We are particularly interested in projects that have policy relevance for Canada and Canada-U.S. relations. Topics that are highly relevant to Canada-U.S. relations include smart and secure borders; North American economic competitiveness; regulatory cooperation; Canada-U.S. trade and investment partnership; energy security and sustainability; environmental sustainability; emergency planning and management; Canada-U.S. security and defense cooperation; Canada in Afghanistan; global health policy; and changing demographics in North America. We strongly encourage projects that include collaboration with researchers at Canadian institutions.

Applications will be considered in accordance with the procedures, guidelines and conditions described below. Over the past three years, applicants have had a 36 percent success rate.

Eligibility

This program is intended for faculty members at accredited U.S. four-year colleges and universities, as well as scholars at American research institutions. Recent Ph.D. recipients who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States are also eligible to apply. Applicants are ineligible to receive the same grant in two consecutive years or to receive two individual category Canadian Studies grants in the same grant period.

Terms and Conditions

The International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS), through the Canadian Embassy, Washington, D.C., will provide the successful candidates with funds to help meet expenses for the period of time for which an award is sought in accordance with the following conditions:

1. applicants must personally apply for the grant and carry out their own research. Contractual or commissioned research does not qualify for support, and grants are not given for work undertaken as part of the applicant's formal program of studies leading to a degree;
2. grants are provided to help defray direct costs related to a project, including travel primarily within Canada and the U.S. as necessary, and research materials. Allowable budget items include: first-time membership fee for the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States or a Canadian academic association for the principal investigator and/or research assistant; funding to attend a conference to present research related to the proposed project; and research support. No provision is made for release time stipends, salaries, or overhead costs to the institution;
3. applicants may request funding up to US$15,000; applicants whose project focuses on the priority topics listed above and who can demonstrate matching funds from others sources may request funding up to US$20,000;
4. 70 percent of the total amount granted will be forwarded to each successful applicant upon receipt of a signed and dated Notice of Grant. The second payment will be made only after the ICCS, through the Canadian Embassy, receives an electronic version of an article-length manuscript of publishable quality, an abstract, and a letter that summarizes activities supported by this grant, describes publication plans, and offers feedback on the grant program. These materials are due by February 28, 2011 unless an extension is approved by the Embassy. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of the second payment.
5. the rights to the manuscript will remain the exclusive property of the researcher. The Embassy requests an offprint or a photocopy of the published article. The article should acknowledge that the research was completed with the assistance of the Government of Canada.

Application Requirements

Applicants must complete the online application form and submit the following materials electronically in a single file (in Rich Text (RTF) or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format).

1. an abstract, approximately 200 words in length, that states the research question, the rationale for the study, the hypothesis (if any), and the proposed methodology. The abstract is the first item a reviewer typically reads and is an indispensable part of the proposal;
2. a concise proposal (four to eight pages, double-spaced) which will:
   1. identify the key issues or the main theoretical problem in the study;
   2. describe and justify the appropriate methodology;
   3. provide a schedule of activities, including travel plans, detailing research contacts and institutions or sites to be visited and describing how this travel relates to your research;
   4. indicate what will be learned from this research, why it is worth knowing, and how one will know the conclusions are valid;
   5. identify all members of the research team (if a team project) and specify each member's affiliation and role in the study;
   6. identify, if applicable, the research assistant(s) and how this project will provide a mentoring and learning experience for the assistant;
3. a detailed budget that describes and justifies anticipated expenditures and indicates other funding sources. Travel and accommodation costs (for research or conference presentations) must be itemized by destination and include dates; research materials, research assistant support, publication and other direct costs must be specified; cost sharing from other sources must be documented;
4. a curriculum vitae (not to exceed 5 pages);
5. the names and contact information of two scholars from whom the applicants will solicit recommendations. Only one of these two recommendations may be from the applicant's own institution. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that letters of recommendation are sent directly by the letter writers to the Embassy. The letters must be sent electronically to AcademicRelations@CanadianEmbassy.org no later than November 2, 2009.

Applications must be sent electronically no later than November 2, 2009. Incomplete applications will not be considered. For inquiries, please email AcademicRelations@CanadianEmbassy.org or call: (202) 682-7727.

Evaluation of Applications

Upon receipt of the application:

1. the Embassy will send a notice of receipt to the applicant;
2. the Embassy will send a copy of the application to the appropriate Canadian Consulate General in the United States for appraisal and comments;
3. the assessment process may involve consultation with the applicant's referees and others who can comment on the merits of the proposal. In some cases, an applicant may be invited to submit an amended application;
4. all applications will be evaluated by a multidisciplinary, pre-selection committee comprised of representatives of the U.S. and Canadian academic communities. Key review criteria are the academic merit, relevance for Canada or Canada-U.S. relations, and originality of the project; the applicant's scholarly promise and ability to accomplish the proposed research; and the likelihood that the research will advance the knowledge and understanding of Canada or Canada-U.S. relations. All applicants will be notified of the results of their applications by the Canadian Embassy, normally within 90 days of the deadline for submission of applications.

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• Past Recipients