Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering

Duration	Application Deadline	How to Apply
5 years, renewable	Future competitions will be announced.	Forms 100 and 183A
Program Contact

Introduction

This Chair program was launched in 1996. The goal of the program is to increase the participation of women in science and engineering and to provide role models for women active in and considering careers in these fields. NSERC funding must be matched by cash contributions from corporate sponsors.

Objectives of the Chair Program

• Develop, implement, and communicate strategies to raise the level of participation of women in science and engineering as students and as professionals, specifically to:
  • encourage female students in elementary and secondary schools to consider careers in science and engineering;
  • increase the enrolment of women in undergraduate and graduate programs in science and engineering in all Canadian universities and colleges;
  • increase the profile and retention rate of women in science and engineering positions;
  • eliminate barriers for women who wish to pursue careers in science and engineering; and
  • promote the integration of female students and professionals both within and outside academia.
• Provide female role models who are accomplished, successful, and recognized researchers in science and engineering.
• Develop and implement a communication and networking strategy to ensure a regional and national impact on opportunities for women in science and engineering.

Terms of Support

NSERC will match private-sector cash contributions of up to $70,000 per year for each of five years towards the creation of individual chairs. Chairs are tenable at any Canadian university within a designated region, and are renewable for an additional three years if progress is satisfactory and private-sector support continues.

Chairholders are expected to contribute up to 50% of their time to the activities of the chair, and the remaining time to their professor/researcher activities at the university. The contributions from NSERC and the corporate sponsor(s) can be used to cover part of the chairholder's salary plus the cost of activities associated with the chair. The contributions from NSERC and the corporate sponsor(s) to the salary of the chairholders will be commensurate with the release time from normal teaching and administrative activities granted by the host institutions (e.g., if the candidate proposes to spend 25% of her time on chair-related activities, the contributions from NSERC and the sponsor(s) can be used to defray up to 25% of her salary; proposals where the host institution pays the candidate's entire salary will be accepted). The university will be responsible for any salary increments over the course of the award due to merit, progression through the ranks, and inflation.

Provincial or federal government departments and agencies can be sponsors of chairs, but NSERC takes only private-sector contributions into account when determining its level of funding.

If additional corporate commitments are secured after a chair has started, NSERC will consider adjusting its level of funding. Requests for additional matching funds (up to the maximum total of $70,000) should be supported by a full description of the changes that will result from the additional funding and by a revised budget.

Eligibility

Chair candidates must be women and meet NSERC's regular eligibility criteria to apply for or receive NSERC funding. Internal candidates (already holding a faculty appointment at a Canadian university) must either hold a current NSERC Discovery Grant or be awarded one prior to taking up the chair (see Application Procedures). Chairs can be conditionally awarded to candidates not currently holding a Discovery Grant, provided they obtain one during the next competition. However, no funding will be released and the chair will not be announced until the grant is obtained.

Although NSERC will accept applications from candidates not currently holding Discovery Grants, evidence of research excellence is one of the selection criteria. It is incumbent on the applying university to select a candidate who can successfully meet this requirement.

Proposals may be submitted by any Canadian university located in one of the two open regions, or jointly by two or more universities located within the same region.

Application Procedures

Chair Application

The applicant for a proposal must be the senior administrator (e.g., Department Head, Dean, Vice-President or President) with direct or ultimate responsibility for the proposed chair. The applicant cannot be the candidate for the chair. There is no special application form for this program. The application is free form and should be printed single-sided on 8 1/2 x 11 inch (21.5 cm x 28 cm) white paper using the following general presentation guidelines:

• Set margins at 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm) (minimum) all around.
• Print must be in black ink, and be of letter quality (minimum standard).
• Text must be single-spaced, with no more than six lines per inch.
• If you use a type size measured in points (pts), it must be no smaller than 12 pts.
• If you use a type size measured in characters per inch (cpi), it must be no more than 10 cpi.
• Condensed type is not acceptable.

Note: If an application does not meet these standards, it may be rejected.

Proposals should consist of a detailed action plan that describes how the chairholder will address the goals and objectives of this chair program. Specifics of the proposed strategies are left to the discretion, creativity, and motivation of the applying organizations, sponsors, and the chairholders. Action plans should include the following:

• short- and long-term objectives;
• a description of the strategies that will be followed to address the objectives of the chair program;
• a detailed budget outlining expenditures for all the funds provided by the sponsoring organization(s) and NSERC;
• a description of the reporting and monitoring mechanisms to be put in place for the activities of the chair;
• a description of the regular professorial/research activities expected of the chairholder, including teaching load;
• a description of how the chairholder will collaborate with others to ensure that the chair has a regional impact;
• a description of how the chairholder will collaborate with other chairholders and participate in initiatives on a national scale;
• a description of how successful strategies and programs will be publicized and communicated across Canada;
• a personal data form (Form 100) for the proposed chairholder including a full description of her research achievements;
• three letters of reference for the chair candidate;
• a completed Form 183A for each sponsoring organization; and
• a letter from each sponsoring organization stating the level of its cash contribution, its reasons for supporting the application and any additional support it may provide beyond the cash contribution.

Discovery Grant Application

In addition to the chair application, external candidates and those internal candidates who either do not hold a Discovery Grant or whose Discovery Grant is in its final year must submit an application for a Discovery Grant, using Form 101 and Form 100. The Discovery Grant proposal will help reviewers to assess the research stature and potential of the proposed candidate. Funding through the Discovery Grants program does not require matching from the corporate sponsor(s). Internal candidates whose Discovery Grant is not in its final year must agree to authorize NSERC to make the results of their most recent Discovery Grant evaluation, including referee and Grant Selection Committee comments, available to the Chair Selection Panel.

In order to provide the chairs with stable research funding, new Discovery Grants will be extended for the term of the chair. Stable funding will allow each chair to put in place the necessary framework to help ensure that their research program remains active at a time of intense community service. Internal candidates whose Discovery Grant is not in its final year will have the option of extending their current grant for the five-year chair term or re-applying in accordance with the original schedule. In the latter case, the chair accepts the decision of the Grant Selection Committee, including a possible reduction or nil.

Chairholders may apply to all other NSERC programs and to other funding agencies for research support not related to the chair.

Review Procedures

All proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines within the industrial, academic and government communities. The research achievements and future research plans described in the Discovery Grant applications will be reviewed by external referees with specific expertise in the proposed area of research and then assessed by a subcommittee of the respective Grants Selection Committee. Their preliminary assessment will be provided to the Chair Selection Committee.

Selection Criteria

The Selection Committee will evaluate all chair applications according to the following criteria:

• the research achievements and stature of the candidate;
• the experience and/or the potential of the candidate to make a contribution to chair-related issues;
• the merit and projected impact of the proposed strategies;
• the communication and networking plan to ensure maximum impact at both the regional and national level;
• the support of the host institution(s), including the integration of the chair with existing chair-related initiatives; and
• the support of the sponsoring organization(s).

The Selection Committee will give equal importance to each element when evaluating proposals.

The preliminary assessment of the Discovery Grant application will be based on the selection criteria for that program. The Discovery Grant level, offered for the chair term, will be recommended by the Grants Selection Committee according to the regular competition schedule for the Discovery Grant program.

Public Announcements

NSERC will approve a public announcement only after a chairholder has formally accepted the position and after all the conditions of the award have been addressed to NSERC's satisfaction. Refer to the General Guidelines for the Public Announcement of Major NSERC Awards in planning a public announcement of a chair award.

Reporting

The chairholder, the university, and the sponsoring organization(s) must submit regular progress reports. Continued NSERC support for the chair depends on favourable reviews of the activities and progress of the chair, and the continued contribution of the supporting organization(s), which must be confirmed annually.

Renewal

The decision to renew a chair for a second term will be based on the fourth year progress report, a proposed action plan for the second term, supporting documentation from the sponsor(s), a statement of impact from the host university and the assessment of a new Discovery Grant application.

If the evaluation is positive and the sponsoring organization(s) are willing to continue financial support, the chair may be renewed once for a second term of three years only. Terms of support for the second term are identical to those in the first term:

• NSERC will match private-sector cash contributions of up to $70,000 per year for each of the three years.
• Chairs are expected to contribute up to 50% of their time toward chair activities.
• Contributions from NSERC and the corporate sponsor(s) may be used for chair salary and chair activities.

NSERC Contact

Applicants and candidates are encouraged to contact the NSERC staff member responsible for this program:

Anne Alper
Research Partnerships Program
Tel.: (613) 996-6521
Fax: (613) 947-6371
E-mail: anne.alper@nserc.ca

Completed applications should be sent to:

Research Partnerships Program
NSERC
350 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1H5