CRC Presentation Memorial

1
THINKING AHEAD PRENDRE LES DEVANTS
2
Canada Research Chairs Information
SessionUniversity of AlbertaJune 16th, 2009

• Robert Courchaine
• Program Officer

3
Topics for today

• Overview of the Chairs Program
• Overview of Nomination Review Process
• Renewals - Whats Been Happening
• Tips on Nomination Preparation
• CRC Statistics
• Equity in Chairs Program
• Move from 3 to 2 Cycles a Year
• Allocations of Chairs
• Canada Excellent Research Chairs (CERC)

4
Overview of the Chairs Program

• Objectives
• to establish 2,000 research professorships in
  universities across the country to attract and
  retain some of the world's most accomplished and
  promising minds
• Improve the training of HQP through research
• Improve Universities capacity to generate and
  apply new knowledge
• Promote the best possible use of reseach
  resources through strategic research planning
• permanent program, established in 2000
• invests 300 million a year
• over 2 billion invested since 2000

5
Overview of the Chairs Program

• 70 universities participating in the Program
• 1831 active Chairs
• 573 Chairs have been recruited from abroad
• 308 non-Canadian (International recruits)
• 265 expatriates
• 456 Chairs are held by women (25)
• 2,290,000,000 total investment to date

6
Governance

• Steering Committee
• Chad Gaffield, President, SSHRC (Chair)
• Suzanne Fortier, President, NSERC
• Alain Beaudet, President, CIHR
• Eliot Phillipson, President and CEO, CFI
• Richard Dicerni, Deputy Minister, Industry Canada
• Canada Research Chairs secretariat
• Executive Director
• Senior Program Officer
• Program Officers
• Program Assistants

7
Canada Research Chairs Secretariat
SSHRC (provides admin support)
CRC Secretariat
Canada Research Chairs
Indirect Costs
Canada Excellence Research Chairs

• Total of 18 staff within Secretariat
• Manage three tri-council programs

8

• Two cycles a year
• Two IAC meetings a year

Canada Research Chairs Secretariat
Nomination Submitted by University
Peer Review Process
College of Reviewers
Favourable Assessment

• Unfavourable
• Assessment

Steering Committee (makes final funding decision)
IAC (makes funding recommendation)
9

• CRC Program Staff

Terry Campbell Executive Director
Marie-Lynne Boudreau Senior Program Officer
Rena Asherman Program Officer (SSHRC)
Tamara Marshall Program Officer (CFI)
Cynthia Paquette Program Officer (CIHR)
Robert Courchaine Program Officer (NSERC)
Haley Miller Program Assistant
Nathalie Drouin-Mayer Program Assistant
David Marchand Policy and Equity Analyst
10
Overview of nomination review process

• Two intake deadlines per year for nominations
• Choice of two cycles for submission of renewals
• Three members of College of Reviewers evaluate
  each nomination and CFI request
• Consensus Secretariat recommends to support
• No consensus review by Interdisciplinary
  Adjudication Committee (IAC)
• Steering Committee approves all recommendations

11
Evaluation criteria

• A - Quality of the chairholder and of the
  proposed program of research
• B - Quality of the institutional environment,
  institutional commitment and integration of the
  chairholder's research with the university's
  strategic research plan

12
Renewals Whats Been Happening

• Tier 2 renewals started in December 2004
• Tier 1 renewals started December 2006
• Total of 490 renewals (Tier 1 2) (excl. 2008-2)
• Almost 100 success rate
• Emerging Negative Decision (END) process
• problematic renewals

13
Emerging Negative Decision (END) process

• Cases where IAC is not supportive or wants more
  info
• List of questions or concerns to be addressed
• University has 60 days to respond (2 pages)
• Reassessment by IAC to make its final
  recommendation
• Any gap in funding due to the END process is the
  responsibility of the university

14
Tips from the IAC on nomination preparation

• Demonstrated international recognition (or
  potential)
• Publication strategy with disciplinary context
• Impact of work
• Value-added for having held a Canada Research
  Chair for previous term (renewals only)

15
Tips from the IAC on nomination preparation
(contd)

• Tier 2 premature nomination
• Limited evidence of research independence
• Low productivity to date
• Lack of direction and clarity of research program
• Insufficient knowledge or recognition of previous
  research
• Not linked to the number of years post-degree

16
Common stumbling blocks

• Unexplained delays in research
• Low university support (protected time for
  research, continued research support)
• Premature Tier 2 nominations
• Lack of rationale for contributions (provide
  context for choice of venue and evidence of
  impact for discipline)
• Fit with the research environment (SRP, research
  centres, infrastructure)

17
Letters of reference

• New nominations
• Tier 1 no conflict of interest for the 3 letters
  (1 international)
• Tier 2 no conflict of interest for at least 1
  letter
• Renewals
• no conflict of interest for the 3 letters (1
  international)
• Letters to be sent directly to the CRC
  Secretariat
• Format instructions on Chairs Web site
• www.chairs.gc.ca/web/program/referees_e.asp

18
Chairs Success Rate by Agency (since start)
19
Active Chairs General Statistics
20
Equity in the Chairs Program

• Nomination forms were changed to include
• Self-identification of membership in the four
  designated groups
• Monitoring for recruitment process at
  universities
• Transparent, Open and Equitable Nomination
  Process at universities
• The Program is working with universities to set
  targets
• Gender-based and Diversity-based analysis
• Annual recognition of universities with exemplary
  equity practices and strategies
• David Marchand Policy and Equity Analyst
• david.marchand_at_chairs.gc.ca or 613-943-1438

21
Move from 3 to 2 Cycles a Year

• Implemented in Fall 2008.
• Transition period we will back date the start
  date for successful renewals submitted in cycle
  2008-2 and 2009-1, as necessary, to avoid any
  gaps in funding.

22
Allocation of Chairs

• every two years there is a national re-allocation
  process
• competitive process based on the research grant
  funding received by researchers from the three
  granting agenciesCIHR, NSERC and SSHRCin the
  three years prior to the year of the allocation
• includes both regular and special chairs

23
Allocation includes Regular and Special Chairs

• Of the total 2,000 chairs, 1880 are regular
  allocations,
• distributed by area of research as follows
• 846 Chairs (45 per cent) NSERC
• 658 Chairs (35 per cent) CIHR
• 376 Chairs (20 per cent) SSHRC
• The remaining 120 are Special chairs for
  universities that have
• received one per cent or less of the total
  funding paid out by the three
• federal granting agencies over the three years
  prior to the year of the
• allocation (can be within any discipline)

24
Canada Excellent Research Chairs (CERC)
www.cerc.gc.ca

• Twenty awards worth up to 10M each
• Funds dispersed over seven years, not renewable
• Supports research in four priority research areas
• Funds cover a variety of the costs of research
• salary and benefits of chairholder and members of
  their research team
• direct and indirect costs of research
• Chairs will be awarded in a two-phase competition
• Phase 2 nominations due November 16, 2009
• Results will be announced Spring 2010

25
How to contact us

• Questions about program - University contact
• Robert Courchaine
• Robert.Courchaine_at_chairs.gc.ca
• Phone [phone]
• General enquiries information_at_chairs.gc.ca
  Phone [phone] Fax [phone]
• Communications/media enquiries
  communications_at_chairs.gc.ca Phone (613)
  996-8373