Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Contributions Program 2022-23

Sponsor

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC)

Program

OPC Contributions Program

For More Information

OPC Contributions Program

OPC Contributions Program Applicants Guide 2022/23

FAQ to Contributions Program

Description

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has issued a call for proposals under its 2022-2023 Contributions Program, which funds independent privacy research and knowledge translation initiatives.

As in past years, OPC is interested in funding innovative projects that seek to better understand and address key and emerging issues related to privacy. This year, the OPC is particularly interested in funding projects on “Who is impacted and how: assessing and mitigating privacy risks, barriers and inequalities".

All proposals must address issues that fall within the scope of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which sets ground rules for how organizations may collect, use or disclose information about individuals in the course of commercial activities. When developing project proposals, applicants are strongly encouraged to review projects currently underway and completed projects from previous years in order to build on past or ongoing work.

The program’s objectives are to:

  1. Strengthen existing privacy research capacity in academic and not-for-profit sectors
  2. Generate new knowledge and support the development of expertise in selected areas of privacy and data protection
  3. Increase awareness and understanding among individuals and organizations across Canada of their privacy rights and obligations
  4. Promote uptake and application of research results by relevant stakeholders

Eligibility

Only not-for-profit organizations – including consumer, voluntary and advocacy organizations, educational institutions, and industry & trade associations – are eligible for funding.

Funding Availability

The budget for the OPC's Contributions Program is $500,000 annually. OPC is making the entire amount available as part of the present call for applications.

Please note that the program’s budget may be cancelled, reduced or increased if funding levels are changed by Parliament.

Maximum Project Value

OPC will award up to $50,000 to any single project and a maximum of $100,000 per recipient organization. 

Indirect Costs

15%

Project Duration

The OPC Contributions Program is structured to fund projects that are initiated and completed within a single fiscal year (April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023). Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of merit.

Incurred expenses must have been paid by the recipient before they are invoiced to the OPC. Exceptionally, the OPC may fund projects that extend beyond the end of a fiscal year (that is, March 31, 2023) if the proposal persuasively demonstrates why the project requires more time to be completed and should be funded beyond the typical one-year period. For multi-year proposals, applicants are requested to submit work plans that cover the entire duration of the project.

Special Notes

Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page.

Deadlines

If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.

TypeDateNotes
Internal Deadline

Please submit your proposal, along with an OR-5 Form to research.services@uoguelph.ca.

External Deadline

The deadline for receipt of applications is February 9, 2022, at 11:59 PM EST.

Please forward your application to the following coordinates.

Email is preferred: contrib@priv.gc.ca

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Care of: Contributions Program
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 1H3

How to Apply

Applicants should provide answers to all questions in the Application form and include any required detailed information in an appendix to the application form.

Applicants must provide a project proposal which, once agreed to by the OPC, will serve as a basis for the contribution agreement and cash flow. The proposal must contain the information below, in the following order:

  • Project title: At the top of the first page or on a cover page, clearly indicate the title of your project
  • Basic Information: Then indicate the name of your organization, its postal address, billing address, telephone number, facsimile number, the email address of your authorized representative, and the names of principal employees and project administrators. Also, provide contact information for the principal researcher (where applicable), the person responsible for administering the project, and the finance/accounting contact person
  • One-page summary: A text summarizing the project—this summary can be used in the contribution agreement
  • Legal status: An attestation/confirmation that your organization is a not-for-profit organization
  • Organizational background: Background of the organization including its mandate, objectives, and accomplishments
  • Previous financial support: An indication of any previous financial support received in the last five years from the OPC including the amount, the year when the funding was provided, the purpose of the funded activity, and the results achieved
  • Detailed project description: A detailed project description including intended goals and objectives, identification of the target groups for the proposed project, anticipated results and expected benefits for Canadians in terms of the acquisition and application of new knowledge in the area of privacy and data protection
  • A listing of expected project deliverables must also be provided
  • Work schedule and monitoring: work plan detailing activities to be undertaken to support the achievement of project objectives, and monitoring activities
  • Budget: A detailed budget for the project showing amount(s) being requested from the OPC and other proposed sources of revenue, including in-kind support. In presenting the budget to the OPC, applicants must use the form provided with this guide, namely Schedule B — Project budget. Furthermore, in their proposal, applicants must provide detailed information explaining and justifying each amount entered in Schedule B — namely for salaries and benefits; travel expenses; telecommunications; contractual services; materials and supplies; rentals (includes equipment and meeting rooms); and other expenses
  • Community, sectoral, or industry involvement: Where appropriate, an indication of the level of community, sectoral or industry involvement (commitment, endorsement, scope and level of participation, co-operation and volunteer involvement)
  • Provincial/territorial support: Where appropriate, an indication of the degree of provincial, territorial and municipal support for the project (cash and/or in-kind)
  • Knowledge translation activities: A plan for disseminating project results and enabling their uptake and application by relevant end-users (e.g., targeted stakeholders, organizations, industry associations, individuals, consumers, communities, educators, journalists, and/or the general public)
  • Acknowledgement of OPC funding: An indication of how the project will acknowledge the financial support (and where relevant, other contributions) of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to the project

Information For Co-applicants

If you need to meet a deadline set by the lead institution for this opportunity, please ensure that you provide the Office of Research with at least five days in advance of the lead institution’s deadline to review the application, or your proposed component of the project. Please be in touch with the Office of Research (contact information below) ahead of the deadline if it looks like it will be difficult for you to submit all the required documentation on time (i.e. budget, proposal, OR-5 Form).

For Questions, please contact

A video conference will be held in January for applicants to provide information on how to prepare their applications for funding and to answer questions. More information will be provided on this session and how to participate in it in January.

For program information, contact:

Kathy Renaud
Administrative Coordinator, Contributions Program
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Tel.: 873-354-1324
contrib@priv.gc.ca

Office of Research

Vanessa Knox, Awards and Agreements Officer
Research Services Office
519-824-4120 x53429
knoxva@uoguelph.ca

Alert Classifications
Category:
Funding Opportunities and Sponsor News

Disciplines:
Information and Communications Technology
Social Sciences