Sponsor
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Ontario Resource Field Program
Description
Mission Statement - Helping the University of Guelph bring First Nations closer to a sustainable supply of clean, healthy water and to conserve biodiversity
Under auspices of a philanthropic gift to the University of Guelph from the Royal Bank of Canada there is funding available to implement a field assessment program (data collection and social interaction), primarily at the undergraduate level, which will improve the understanding of water-related and biodiversity issues faced by First Nations communities. Issues involved could include fisheries management, health of the ecosystems, effects of anthropogenic change, fish surveying, water conservation, etc. The research is to be conducted in Ontario.
The RBC project started in 2014 and provided approximately $300,000 which was used to support 15 projects that were led by faculty from CBS, CPES and OAC. In 2016, there will be approximately $150,000 in funding available. In the above context, we are soliciting project proposals projects that respond to the needs of the above mandate. If you have a research project that addresses the mission statement, please submit a three page proposal (maximum) describing your concept. The proposal must indicate:
- Background (and summary of past accomplishments if applicable)
- Purpose of research and specific objectives
- Description of field work including planned data collection and student engagement
- Description of community engagement and knowledge transfer, as part of the project (if any)
- Project timeline, milestones, and deliverables
- A separate budget breakdown for projected expenditures should be included as an appendix of the proposal (not included in the three page limit).
As a guideline, a proposal should entail an expenditure of up to $20k (maximum) in one year, all costs included. This call for proposals envisions the field work and reporting to be completed by October 1, 2016.
It is expected that the proponents will demonstrate in their proposal, linkage(s) with other ongoing work that relates to First Nations, and where applicable, identify matching funds that will be leveraged to support the proposed research. As well, it is important to indicate the knowledge transfer from the First Nations to the students involved in the proposed project and how the First Nations communities will be included in a transparent way, and how the community (ies) will benefit from the project.
It is important to recognize and detail the sensitivity training and ethics review implicit in any First Nations work in the proposed project.
While there is a possibility of further funding in subsequent years, the potential for additional year(s) of support will only be decided at a future date. The faculty member supervising the work will be responsible for submitting a report that will be integrated into a summary report that will be provided to the project sponsors. The due date for the final report is October 1, 2016.
Proposals will be evaluated by a committee which includes faculty from across campus and external members who have expertise in First Nations water issues. Successful applicants will be required to submit an OR-5 form to the Office of Research who will set up a trust fund in their home department. There will be no indirect costs (overhead) levied on the grant funds.
Proposals are to be submitted by email to Glen Van Der Kraak (gvanderk@uoguelph.ca) and Ed McBean (emcbean@uoguelph.ca) who are responsible for the Program. The deadline for submission of proposals is 4:00 on December 1, 2015.