Overview
Research in the Social Sciences is increasingly becoming complex with the need for researchers and research groups to have access to a broader range of knowledge and skills to answer the questions they pursue. The Research Clusters Program supports collaborations among Faculty researcher labs and groups to facilitate the sharing of research knowledge and skills, and training of graduate students across disciplines or sub disciplines. The Research Clusters Program supports opportunities for researchers and groups to expand their capacity and their range of potential collaborators. Examples may include professors sharing expertise who have previously worked independently on a common problem from different disciplinary perspectives or an exchange of graduate students between research groups to further their training toward the completion of their Master’s or Doctoral research.
Objectives
The main objectives of the Research Clusters Program are:
- Support researchers to work collaboratively toward some identified product or outcome
- Improve and expand the skills of Faculty Researchers
- Support the training of Faculty members and/or Graduate Students
- Facilitate the acquisition of external grants
About the Program
- Research Clusters are funded for 1 year.
- A maximum amount of $10,000 is reserved this program.
- Individual funding requests may not exceed $5,000.
Eligibility
- At least two (2) professors contribute to the Research Cluster. At least one professor must hold a tenured or tenured-track position at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
- If a Professor is a member of a Research Center, an Institute or holds a Research Chair, he or she must explain how the proposed activities will be distinct from those of the Research Center, Institute or Research Chair.
- The professors have not received funding from this program within the last two (2) years.
Application Deadline
April 15th
Application Requirements
- Proposed name for the Research Cluster
- Description of the research questions (1-2 pages)
- Description of team members and their contributions to the Research Cluster (1 -2 pages)
- Description of proposed outputs or outcomes from the Research Cluster and the timeline for their achievement (1 page)
- Budget justification* (1 page)
- CV of all participating professors
*The budget can be used for professional networking costs, the purchase of databases and of licenses for software, as well as for hardware. The budget cannot include funding for teaching releases or travel to conferences.
Evaluation Criteria
- Quality of the collaborative research program and activities
- Quality of the research record of the members
- Integration of graduate students
- Justification of the proposed budget
- Feasibility and Quality of the proposed outputs or outcomes
The Research Committee is responsible for reviewing all applications, including the annual reports.
Reporting Requirements
The recipient is asked to submit an annual report to the Office of the Vice-Dean, Research upon conclusion of its activities.
Proposal Submission
One PDF document including all elements of the proposal is sent by e-mail to [email protected]. If the deadline falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the deadline will be extended to the next working day. Incomplete and late applications will not be retained.
For more information, please contact Sophie LeTouzé.