Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships GUIDELINES

Transcription

1 Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships A program of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada GUIDELINES Page 1 of 7

2 Scholarship Scholarship Types As part of the Government of Canada Awards (GCA), the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program (CCSP) and the Canada-Mexico Awards (CMA), the Government of Canada offers one-year post-doctoral research fellowships tenable at recognized public Canadian universities, affiliated research institutes, and colleges with a strong research mandate. The PDRF is designed to provide research opportunities to promising recent doctoral graduates in the natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities. Fellowships are not offered to professional artists or to those wishing to do clinical research and training involving patient-care. Scholarship Value The total value of the fellowship is $36,500 CAD and it is taxable in Canada. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) classifies these funds as a research grant but it is the responsibility of fellows to submit an income tax return to the Canada Revenue Agency who will make an assessment according to individual circumstances. As no dependant allowance is payable, it is essential that fellows who plan to bring their family to Canada have sufficient financial resources for their support. Scholarship Duration A fellowship is for 12 months and is not renewable. Background The Government of Canada's objective in establishing the Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDRF) is to attract promising, recent doctoral graduates to do research in Canada. The Government wishes to support research that clearly advances the scholar's own career and that is useful to Canada or to the research team within which the scholar proposes to work. Student Eligibility Applicants: must be citizens of one of the following countries: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russia, Switzerland or United Kingdom. Applicants who have obtained Canadian citizenship or applied for permanent residency in Canada are ineligible; must have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline. Completion refers to the date on which all requirements of the degree have been met including successful defence. Consideration may be given to extend this period for applicants who have withdrawn from active research for maternity purposes; and must be invited to a post-doctoral position at a recognized public Canadian universities, affiliated research institute or college with a strong research mandate. Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Canadian government scholarship to study in Canada. Page 2 of 7

3 Desired Qualifications The following qualifications are not essential but are desirable and may be a deciding factor in preselecting candidates where there are a high number of applications. Applicants: have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree no more than two years before the application deadline. Completion refers to the date on which all requirements of the degree have been met including successful defence; have never received a scholarship or fellowship through the Government of Canada [Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) or DFAIT]; and have proposed research which has the potential to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their field and which is of potential interest and value to Canada and its society. Terms and Conditions Applicants should refer to the Terms and Conditions for regulations about holding the award, such as the start date, holding other funding and employment. A fellowship is twelve (12) months in duration and is not renewable. A fellowship must be taken up no earlier than June 1 st, 2012 and no later than September 30 th, 2012 A fellowship cannot be deferred. Fellows will be required to stay in Canada during the tenure of the award, but if necessary, on the recommendation/approval of the supervisor, may travel outside of Canada up to a maximum of one (1) month. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) expects fellows to engage in full-time research. A fellow may not hold other full-time employment during any period of time in which he/she holds an award from the Government of Canada. The number of hours of other employment per twelve-month period is limited to 450 hours. The acceptance of other employment is subject to the approval of the research supervisor. Fellows may not concurrently hold another award from DFAIT or from another Canadian federal granting agency [Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) or Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)] but may accept awards from other sources, to a maximum of $50,000 CAD (e.g. foreign sources, provincial awards, private organizations, their host institution, their home employer, etc). Fellows must provide the scholarship program administrator with a mid-term report no later than six months following the beginning of the fellowship as well as a final report a maximum of 30 days after the completion of the fellowship. Both reports must be signed by the supervisor. In the final report, a list of any publications resulting from the fellowship must be included. The Government of Canada is to be acknowledged as supporting the fellow in any publications, speeches, conference documents and other similar statements generated during and Page 3 of 7

4 subsequent to the post-doctoral period for any and all research undertaken through the fellowship. Fellows are required to have appropriate health insurance upon their arrival in Canada and for the entire duration of their fellowship. Proof of medical coverage in Canada (equivalent to provincial coverage) must be submitted to the scholarship program administrator at the beginning of the fellowship*. The fellow must advise the scholarship program administrator within seven (7) days of any incident or mishap, professional or personal, which would impede the completion of the postdoctoral position in which the fellow is involved. The fellow should be aware that failure to report the above may result in the cancellation of the award and that he/she may be held personally liable for the repayment in full or in part of monies advanced to the fellow under the fellowship. If the fellow terminates the fellowship to accept full-time employment before the end of the period covered by the award, the value of the award will be prorated and the remaining funds will be reimbursed to the program administrator. The host institution s policies and regulations will apply with respect to vacation leave. A fellow may not serve on the staff of the official representative of their home country in Canada. Application Process To be considered for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (PDRF), an applicant: must complete and submit an online application; must ensure three letters of recommendation are sent to the scholarship administrator as well as the Embassy of Canada in the country of application; and must submit to the Embassy of Canada an electronic copy of all supporting documents before or by the deadline. Access the online application through Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Instructions Applicants are encouraged to read the instructions below carefully before beginning the online application. If applicants experience difficulty filling out or submitting the application, applicants should send an to admin-scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca. Applicants: must enter data in the fields provided, following the instructions for each item; must, upon completion, verify the data prior to submitting; can obtain a hard copy for record keeping by printing the form using the print function in the browser, prior to submitting; must click SUBMIT. A confirmation page and reference number will appear after submission. Page 4 of 7

5 Supporting Documentation The following documentation, with the exception of letters of recommendation, must be uploaded to the online application form. In addition, an electronic copy must be sent to the designated Embassy of Canada. Applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Supporting Documents (access through for information on preparing and submitting documents. 1. Letter of Intent: The letter of intent should outline how the fellowship in Canada will further the applicant s career path and include a rationale for the country, the institution, and the supervisor chosen. (Maximum two pages) 2. Research Proposal: The research proposal must describe the major work the applicant wishes to pursue: its precise nature, its purpose, and the proposed methodology or approach. Applicants are advised to write their research proposal in plain language. Members of the selection committee are from a broad range of disciplines and may not have expertise in the applicants area of study. It is expected that applicants will write their own research proposal independently, and that the ideas and/or text belonging to others be properly referenced. (Maximum four pages) 3. Curriculum Vitae: The curriculum vitae should not include photographs or any personal information such as a date of birth. (Maximum four pages) 4. List of Publications: This document should list scholarly publications which have been authored (or co-authored with a description of the applicant s contribution) in bibliographic format appropriate to the discipline. In addition, an abstract (maximum 500 words each) must be included for up to three publications. Applicants should not send publications. (Maximum four pages) 5. Letter of Invitation: The letter of invitation must be written on the institution s letterhead from a recognized public Canadian university, affiliated research institute or college with a strong research mandate. The letter must clearly indicate who will supervise the fellow s work and must be signed by the proposed supervisor. (Maximum two pages) 6. Copies of Degree Certificates/Diplomas: The copies should include undergraduate and graduate degrees. If the degrees are in a different language, they must include translation into English or French by a certified translator Letters of Recommendation: Each application must include three letters of recommendation from people who are well acquainted with the applicant s scholarly work. One letter from a supervisor at the graduate or undergraduate level; One letter from a supervisor at the PhD level; One letter from an academic or alternatively an employer familiar with the applicant s academic work and career path. Referees should use the Letter of Recommendation form (access through and may also include one additional letter signed and on official letterhead. Referees should comment as fully as possible on the applicant, keeping in mind the following points for inclusion, as appropriate: How long, and in what capacity, they have known the applicant; Their relationship to the applicant (i.e. undergraduate supervisor, PhD supervisor); Page 5 of 7

6 Their views on the applicant's academic record and suitability for the proposed research program in general and need for the particular subject of study in Canada. Information on how, and to what extent, the applicant has shown ability in terms of: Research potential; Capacity for original thought; Motivation and perseverance in achieving objectives; Assessment of the applicant's particular strengths and weaknesses; and Any other general qualities which they consider would make the applicant a worthy scholarship recipient. Letters of recommendation must be sent separately, by the referee, to the scholarship administrator at admin-scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca as well as the designated Embassy of Canada in the country of application. Document titles must clearly identify the name of the applicant. The letters of recommendation must arrive by the deadline for the application to be considered. Deadline The deadline is November 12, Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. For documentation required from institutions (i.e. letters of invitation and letters of recommendation), applicants are reminded that it may take time for these documents to be processed. It is advisable that applicants plan ahead and ensure sufficient time to gather the material prior to the deadline. Reference letters received past the deadline will not be accepted. Review Procedures and Conditions Selection Process All applications are reviewed by the agency that coordinates the competition in the country of application. All complete applications received by the deadline that meet the eligibility requirements are evaluated. The agency recommends a list of pre-selected candidates to the scholarship program administrator in Canada. Note that pre-selection does not guarantee an award. This is a very competitive program with a limited numbers of awards (approximately two to eight) available to citizens of each eligible country. Only preselected applications will be sent to Canada for review by the Canadian Scholarship Selection Committee. The Canadian Scholarship Selection Committee is made up of individuals from the academic community representing all regions of Canada, both official language groups and a wide variety of academic disciplines. This Committee reviews, evaluates and ranks pre-selected candidates to make a final recommendation to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT). Selection Criteria The merit and overall credentials of the applicant, including academic and/or professional experience will be evaluated using the following selection criteria: Page 6 of 7

7 Proposed Research The evaluation of the merit of the proposed research will be based on the following: clarity, feasibility, purpose, and proposed methodology or approach of the research he/she wishes to pursue; the rationale for the institution(s), and the supervisor(s) he/she has chosen; and the relevance of doing research in Canada. Candidate's Aptitudes The evaluation of the candidate's aptitude and potential will be based on the entire application including the strengths of the letter of invitation and letters of recommendation. Communication, Interpersonal and Leadership Abilities The evaluation of communication, interpersonal and leadership abilities will be based on how well the applicant has organized his/her studies and research to meet appropriate academic goals. The final selection is based on academic merit, aptitude, motivation and the quality of the research plan as presented by the nominee, as well as in the letter of invitation and letters of recommendation. Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Canadian government scholarship to study in Canada. Notification The scholarship program administrator in Canada notifies all pre-selected candidates of the final results by before April 30th, Applicants must ensure that a permanent address is included in the application. Conditions All rules and procedures of the Government of Canada Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships apply to this competition. Applications and documents submitted to the designated agency in the country of application will not be returned. Fellowships are subject to the availability of funding. Page 7 of 7