OCE TalentEdge Fellowship Program

Sponsor

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE)

Program

TalentEdge Fellowship Program

For More Information

OCE TalentEdge Fellowship Program

Materials for OCE TalentEdge Fellowship Program

• Eligible Expenses
• Sample Application Template
• OCE Funding Agreement (Institution-based)

Description

Ontario’s TalentEdge Fellowship Program (TFP) provides support for Ontario-based PhD graduates and post-doctoral fellows to work on industry-driven research and development projects. Companies can tap into world-class talent coming out of Ontario's publicly-funded post-secondary institutions and strengthen their capacity to develop new products, services, and processes.

TalentEdge fellowships are intended to provide PhD graduates with an experiential learning opportunity and hands-on industry experience. All fellowships must be project-based with clearly defined activities, milestones and outcomes. Projects must have a clearly-defined R&D component, where R&D is defined by the discipline and is inclusive of all areas of specialization and disciplines. 

The objectives of the TalentEdge Fellowship Program are as follows:

• Help students and recent graduates bridge the gap between Ontario's academic institutions and industry by providing hands-on experience with companies 
• Build receptor capacity in industry for highly skilled R&D personnel
• Provide research and development capabilities to companies
• Improve companies’ competitiveness by attracting top talent and tapping into world-class R&D to strengthen capacity to develop new products, services, and processes
• Develop and retain top talent in Ontario
• Facilitate the transfer of knowledge and emerging technologies from academia to industry

Eligibility

• A doctoral degree (PhD) in any discipline completed within the last five years from an accredited Ontario University.
• May hold a maximum of two TalentEdge fellowships (consecutive, over lifetime).
• Fellows must be eligible to work at the Applicant Organization. For company-based fellowships, the fellow must be eligible to work in Ontario. For institution-based fellowships, the fellow must have post-doctoral fellow status at the academic institution for the duration of the fellowship.
• Fellows may not apply with a company where there is any conflict of interest, including, but not limited to, a company where the fellow or relatives have any control as a major creditor or shareholder or governing board.
• Fellows may not apply if at the time of application submission they are a current or past employee of the company (including consultants, contract position, part-time, etc.).

• Projects must include at least one for-profit company with operations in Ontario that meets the required cash and in-kind contribution.
• The company must provide a Business Number (BN) issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
• Company must use the results for the economic, environmental, or social benefit of Ontario.  

• All fellowships must be project-based with clearly defined activities, milestones and outcomes.
• Projects must have an R&D component, where R&D is defined by the discipline and is inclusive of all disciplines.
• Projects must be commensurate with fellow’s experience and expertise.
• Fellowships are not intended to be “first job”-type placements; all fellowships must be based on a defined project that is executed within the time frame of the fellowship.
• Applications must not exceed a maximum of two units per application/company in this fiscal year (1 April 2017- 31 March 2018) (i.e. maximum of $70,000 in OCE contribution per application). Pre-approval from OCE is required to apply for more than two units. Please discuss with the Program Manager before starting your application.
• Intellectual property arising from the project will be managed by the project participants. For academic institution-based fellowships, the parties are bound by the intellectual property terms of the university where the fellow is employed; except where intellectual property is covered by separate agreements to which the academic institution and the company are parties and the agreement is valid for the duration of the fellowship. For company-based fellowships, the parties are bound by the intellectual property terms of company where the fellow is an employee for the duration of the fellowship. OCE does not claim or manage IP rights.
• For institution-based fellowships, the academic partner (applicant) must be a principal investigator at an Ontario-accredited, public post-secondary academic institution (university, research hospital). The applicant must have an arms-length relationship with the industry partner as defined on NSERC’s website (refer to the section Conflict of Interest Guidelines for Partner Organizations).
• Participants must enter into an agreement with OCE and co-operate in providing project reports (please refer to OCE Project Reporting Requirements).
• Applicants and their partners must be in good financial and reporting standing with OCE.

Maximum Project Value

Each 12-month fellowship is valued at $85,000 as follows:

• $35,000 contribution from OCE
• $25,000 company cash contribution
• $25,000 company in-kind contribution

Applications must not exceed a maximum of two units per application in a year (i.e. maximum of $70,000 in OCE contribution per application; $35,000 per fellowship unit). 

Indirect Costs

0%

Project Duration

Fellowships can be 12 or 24 months in length. Each 12-month fellowship is equal to one unit (12-month fellowship = 1 fellowship unit)

Special Notes

Fellowships can be based at a company or an academic institution (university or research hospital). The amount of time spent with the company, as well as the most appropriate location for the interaction, should be mutually determined and depend on the nature and needs of the project. If fellowships are based at an academic institution, fellows are required to spend a significant portion of their time on-site or in the field with the company. 

Fellowship compensation per 12-month fellowship unit:

• Institution-based fellows must receive a minimum compensation of $52,500 per year. Of the $85,000 value of the 12-month fellowship unit, up to $32,500 may be used for direct costs of the project (this includes a part of the cash and all company in-kind contribution to the fellowship); 
• Company-based fellows must receive a minimum compensation of $60,000 per year.  Of the $85,000 value of the 12-month fellowship, up to $25,000 may be used for direct costs of research (company in-kind contribution only);

How to Apply

1. Eligibility Questionnaire completed by potential applicant (see link to Eligibility Questionnaire below)
2. Eligibility Questionnaire reviewed by OCE (within 1-2 business days)
3. If applicant meets program eligibility criteria, OCE will initiate an application and the applicant will receive a notification from AccessOCE
4. Applicant logs in to AccessOCE account and submits the application via the online system. A complete submission includes:
   • Official transcript and curriculum vitae/resume of the fellow
   • Reference letter from the fellow’s PhD supervisor, including the following information:
     • Indicate the time period that the fellow was under your supervision
     • Describe the academic qualifications and expertise of the fellow
     • Describe the track-record of the fellow in terms of supervision of other students, publications, patents, key achievements, etc.
     • Describe the potential of the fellow
   • Curriculum vitae/resume for the academic supervisor or NSERC100 form (for institution-based placements only)
   • Information about the company, including but not limited to:
     • Business number issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). 
     • Incorporation date
     • Number of employees
   • Online application completed and submitted through AccessOCE 
5. Note: Please note that following the internal review for completeness, eligibility and use of funds, applicants will only have two chances to make all required changes to their applications. If an application continues to have outstanding issues after the second revision, it will not move forward.