2018 Call for Applications - CIHR Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs

The CRC program aims to attract and retain in Canada accomplished and promising researchers. The allocation of the 2000 Canada Research Chairs (CRC) to Canadian universities by the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) is conducted every 2 or 3 years and is based on research funding received by researchers from the 3 federal granting agencies. Each university receives a CRC allocation that it can use according to a set of rules. The decision to name Canada Research Chairholders is made by the university.

Tier 1 or “Senior” chairs are for outstanding researchers recognized by their peers as world leaders in their fields. These chairs are seven-year positions worth $200,000 per year and can be renewed once.

For more information about the program, please consult the CRC website.

In keeping with its recruitment policies (including the “Equal Employment Opportunity Program,” which was adopted in 2008), Université Laval is committed to promoting excellence in research and research training and guaranteeing equal opportunity for all qualified candidates. Université Laval upholds the principle that excellence and equity go hand in hand and recognizes that best practices with regard to employment equity will result in the broadest possible pool of competent candidates.

As required by the CRC program, Université Laval has published an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (PDF, French only) with a view to increasing the representation of women, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities among Canada Research Chairholders at our institution.

In order to fulfill these commitments, the selected candidates must self-identify as belonging to at least 1 of these underrepresented groups.

Applications must be submitted by faculty deans. Each faculty can submit a limited number of applications.

• Call for applications: May 31, 2018
• VRRCI submission deadline: November 15, 2018 (no delay accepted)
• Results announced by the VRRCI: week of December 11, 2018
• TIPS (federal) submission deadline: April 24, 2018

Eligibility

Faculties can submit applications for current Université Laval professors or outside candidates.

Applicants for Tier 1 chairs must be full professors or associate professors who are close to obtaining tenure.

Excellence of the Applicant

The Canada Research Chair program is based on an unwavering commitment to excellence in research and training. Applicants must demonstrate a significantly greater contribution compared to other researchers working in the same field in Canada (Tier 2) or internationally (Tier 1). This contribution is defined by:

• A publication record that is superior to the reference group average
• Supervision of graduate students; diversity and inclusion of students and research staff will be considered an asset
• Higher levels of funding than the reference group average
• International collaborations (publications, research funding, and knowledge transfer activities); Tier 2 Chairholders must have shown their ability to assert themselves on an international level
• A larger number of knowledge transfer activities than the reference group average: e.g., attendance at scientific conferences, radio interviews, publication of results in scientific journals and major newspapers, and knowledge transfer to a community of practice
• Leadership, as evidenced by significant contributions to the development and transfer of knowledge in the applicant’s field of expertise and contributions to the university’s flagship multidisciplinary research platforms

A committee, composed by peers, will assess the applications, produce a report, and make recommendations to the vice-rector of research, creation, and innovation, who will decide which applications will be forwarded to TIPS based on strategic and institutional priorities, including the university’s commitments to diversity and inclusion.

In addition to being diverse, the assessment committee is composed of established professors, the equity officer, the director of the Bureau des chaires et des entités structurantes, and the advisor responsible for the CRC program, who serves as the committee secretary. All committee members receive clear instructions with regard to their role and mandate, the definition of excellence, and the impact of career interruptions on application assessments. Committee members are also required to take training on unconscious bias and peer review.

Assessment Criteria

Applications are assessed based on the following criteria and sub-criteria (see the assessment grid - text only available in French):

1. Quality of the candidate
2. Quality of the research program
3. Capacity-building impact
4. Community involvement

The full application package includes:

A letter of support from the dean of the faculty

The letter must:

• Show that the candidate is internationally recognized as an exceptional and innovative researcher conducting world-class work that has had a marked impact in his or her field (Tier 1 Chair)
• Present the chair’s contribution in terms of capacity building and added value for the faculty and the university, notably with respect to faculty and university strategic priorities
• Describe clearly the contributions and support (financial or other in-kind) from the faculty and department
• Confirm that the position attached to the chair is tenure track
• Describe, mandatory, the selection process and measures taken to encourage applications from underrepresented groups.

The letter must complement the letter from the Director of the research unit and must be limited to the aforementioned points.

A letter of support from the Director of the research unit where the candidate will be integrated

(director of affiliated institute/research center, axis director, UL Institute, research center, or department director).

This letter must:

• Present how the chair application will fit into the existing scientific program of the research unit
• Present the chair’s contribution in terms of capacity building and added value for the research unit. Reflecting the applicant’s vision for the research chair, the letter must explain how the chair will help build capacity in an emerging field or strengthen capacity in a developed field; how the chair will serve as a lever taking research to a higher level; how the chair will help disseminate research; what steps will be taken to help establish Université Laval as a leader in the field in question.
• Describe clearly the contributions and support (financial or other in-kind) from the research unit

Only one letter of support from the research unit can be presented. In case of affiliations with multiple research units, one joint letter will be accepted and must complement the letter of support from the dean.

A curriculum vitae

Use the CRC CV which includes 2 sections:

• The CRC CV form available in the CRC Portal
• CV attachment as set out by the CRC (see the format on pages 4–8 of the CRC CV form)

The UL self-identification form

See the self-identification form (PDF - only available in French)

A complete or summary description of the research program

3–6 pages, as set out in sections 2a to 2f of the CRC Nomination Form

Application Call Process

Jean-Philippe Marquis
Research Development Advisor (VRRCI)
418 656-2131, poste 8878
jean-philippe.marquis@vrr.ulaval.ca

Recruitment Process and EDI Matters

Élise Cormier
Equity Officer and assistant to the vice-rector of human resources
418 656-2131, poste 6468
elise.cormier@vrrh.ulaval.ca