Subvention pour les ressources éducatives libres (REL) en français de l'Université d'Ottawa

With financial support from the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Francophonie) and the administrative support of the Digital Learning Strategy steering committee, the Library is launching its first call for proposals for a new OER grant.

Call for Proposals

Deadline to submit a proposal: Friday November 27, 2026 at 5 p.m.

Information Sessions

Three online information sessions will be offered via Teams:

Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. [link to register]
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. [link to register]
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. [link to register]

*If you experience difficulties when registering for a session, please contact [email protected]

Grant Description

The Library will award up to $25,000 per project to support the adaptation or creation of open educational resources (OER) in French for courses offered in that language at the University of Ottawa.

Two grant categories of funding are available to project leads:

Up to $10,000 in the form of a development contract
Up to $15,000 for eligible expenses

Project Types

Given the ongoing gap in the availability of French-language educational resources adapted the Francophone minority context, the grant aims to support adapted translations of OER from English to French and the creation of new OER in French in the target disciplines identified as priorities.

Identified Target Disciplines

In its analysis of OER gaps, the eCampusOntario Francophone Working Group identified disciplines to be prioritized for the adaptation or creation of French-language OER based on current availability and program offerings in Francophone postsecondary institutions in Ontario. The priority disciplines that align with the University of Ottawa’s strategic objectives closely correspond to those of identified by eCampusOntario, in addition to the French-language Common Law program.

Disciplines	Details
Business Administration and Economics	Especially foundational courses such as accounting, marketing, and management, as well as applied skills
Health Sciences and Technology	In particular, interdisciplinary content that integrates clinical, technical, and digital skills
Engineering	In particular, core disciplines (such as civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering) and emerging fields like sustainable design
Social Sciences and Humanities	The needs are varied and complex, but it is suggested prioritizing transferable concepts and frameworks, such as research methods and ethics, and considering a modular design that allows for linguistic and regional adaptation
Law	French Common Law

Whether they are adaptations or new OER, modularity is a key factor that makes it easier to use the resource across multiple disciplines or elsewhere in the Canadian Francophonie with subject-specific, linguistic, or cultural adjustments.

Eligibility

Members of the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO) and members of the Association of Teaching Professors of the University of Ottawa (APTUO) may submit a proposal if they plan to incorporate the proposed OER into one or more courses on an ongoing basis.

Eligible projects include the adaptation of existing OER from languages other than French, as well as projects leading to the creation of OER originally designed in French. However, projects based on the initial creation of an OER in another language for the purpose of translation to French are not eligible.

Funding Available

Project leads can request two amounts, for a maximum of $25,000 in total.

1. Up to $10,000 in recognition of the intellectual and technical labour required to adapt and create an OER and properly integrate it in their course and teaching practices

In their proposal, project leads must indicate the number of hours they intend on contributing to their OER project:

at least 25 hours of work = development contract of $2,500
at least 25 hours of work = development contract of $5,000
at least 75 hours of work = development contract of $7,500
at least 100 hours of work = development contract of $10,000

2. Up to $15,000 for other expenses related to the adaptation or creation of the OER

In their proposal, project leads must submit a budget for anticipated expenses.

Hiring students or professional services for research, writing, translation, editing, graphic design, audio or video recording, instructional design, etc. are eligible expenses.

Other eligible expenses include:

A $300 honorarium for the peer review of the OER, for up to three reviewers
Registration and travel expenses for conferences where the OER will be presented by the project lead (up to $2,000)

Management of Funds

Funds for a development contract (up to $10,000) will be made available to the recipient’s faculty in two installments following the submission of the progress report and the final report.

Funds for expenses (up to $15,000) will be made available in two installments to a project account at the recipient’s faculty following the submission of the progress report and the final report.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated using a detailed rubric that includes the following criteria:

Need for an OER in French on the proposed topic
Significance of the project and its anticipated impact at the University of Ottawa and other Francophone or bilingual institutions that offer courses in French
Feasibility of the project (timeline, budget, scope)
Modularity of the proposed OER and anticipated quality of the user experience
Usage and sustainability of the proposed OER
Search for existing OER and understanding of open principles
Discussion of feasibility with the librarian responsible for OER
Prior approval by the dean (or their representative) to submit a proposal, confirming that the faculty is prepared to manage the funds associated with this project (development contract and expenses)

Download the evaluation rubric

Download tips for project leads

Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated using the rubric by a selection committee composed of:

The librarian responsible for OER
A member of the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Francophonie)
A member of the Digital Learning Strategy steering committee

All decisions are final and there is no appeal process.

Expectations for Grant Recipients

Recipients of a grant are expected to:

Participate in mandatory workshops offered by the Library
Demonstrate financial responsibility and accountability with the management of funds, including:
- Promptly informing the librarian responsible for OER if the project deviates from the original proposal, falls behind schedule, or must be abandoned
- Responding to enquiries regarding the project’s progress
- Submitting supporting documentation or receipts upon request
- Submitting a progress report and a final report (templates will be provided) to access funds in two installments
- Accepting these conditions as outlined in the Agreement to this effect before beginning the project
Adhere to the principles of openness that are central to OER by making the resulting resource available under a Creative Commons licence that allows adaptations (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC ou CC BY-NC-SA)
Indicate in the OER that the project received funding from the Subvention pour les ressources éducatives libres (REL) en français de l’Université d’Ottawa
Adhere to University of Ottawa guidelines and best practices for accessible resources.
For a minimum period of five (5) years following the completion of the OER, report annually on the known use of their OER to the Library using a designated online form to measure its impact in terms of cost savings for students

Proposed Timeline

September 25, 2026	Launch of call for proposals
November 27, 2026	Closing of call for proposals
December 7, 2026	Announcement of selected projects
Early January 2027	Launch of projects
April 1, 2027	Submission of progress report by recipient
January 14, 2028	Submission of OER and final report by recipient

Questions

To book a consultation or ask questions about the grant, contact the librarian responsible for OER at [email protected]

Submit a proposal

Library OER Program Evaluation Report

Library OER grant recipients and projects, 2020-2024

Purpose

The Library will award up to $7,500 per project to support the use of open educational resources in courses at the University of Ottawa. Two types of grants are available:

Adaptation of an existing OER (up to $6,000): To identify and customize an existing OER to better align with a uOttawa course. It includes translation, localization, updates, or creating supporting materials.
Creation of a new OER (up to $7,500): To create a new OER for a uOttawa course in an area or on a topic that lacks free resources.

Recipients will be announced in late March 2024.

Eligibility

Members of the APUO, the APTPUO, and staff with instruction-related activities can submit a proposal.

Student-led projects are also eligible. In that case, proposals must be submitted by a faculty sponsor (an APUO or APTPUO member) responsible for the project.

Projects are only eligible to receive a single grant in any given year.

Eligible expenses and conditions

The grants may be used to pay students and professionals for research, writing, editing, translation, copy editing, graphic design, and audio or video recording services.

The following expenses are NOT eligible:

Registration and travel costs for conferences
Article processing charges (APC) to publish in open access
Incentives to participate in an assessment of the OER
Stipends for contributing to the OER
Promotion and marketing of the OER (beyond support offered by the Library)
Course release or any other form of remuneration for the project lead

Proposals must describe how the funds will be used and justify each expense in the projected budget, as well as provide a brief job description for all salaried positions. Funding will only be granted for specific approved expenses and supporting documentation/receipts should be retained by grant recipients upon making use of the funds.

Funds will be made available no later than April 30, 2024 and should be used by grant recipients by April 30, 2025. Upon completion of the project or on May 1, 2025, whichever is earlier, any unspent portion of the grant funds will be reverted to the University of Ottawa Library.

Evaluation criteria

The following types of projects are especially encouraged:

French-language OER (given the significant gap in the availability of OER in that language)
OER to be used in a high-enrolment course
OER that can be used in multiple courses or sections of a course

Applications will be evaluated using a rubric for each grant category. Criteria include:

Applicant's demonstrated understanding of open principles
Impact and benefit to uOttawa students, including but not limited to cost savings
Evidence of need for an OER on proposed topic
Feasibility of the project considering:
- Scope
- Timeline
- Budget

Download the evaluation rubrics for each grant category:

Download Tips for applicants 2024

Selection process

Proposals will be reviewed by selection committees composed of faculty members, instructors, librarians, previous grantees, student representatives, and staff from the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS).

All decisions are final and there is no appeal process.

Expectations of grant recipients

Adhere to the principle of openness that is central to OER by making the resulting resource available under a Creative Commons licence that allows adaptations (i.e. CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, or CC BY-NC-SA)
Indicate within their project that it was funded by a University of Ottawa Library OER Grant
Present their project at a future open education event organized by the University of Ottawa Library in 2024-2025
Be financially responsible and accountable for the management of grant funds, including:
- promptly informing the Library if the project deviates from the original proposal
- responding to Library’s enquiries about project progression
- submitting supporting documentation/receipts upon request
- returning any unspent grant amounts upon completion of the project or on May 1, 2025, whichever is earlier
Submit a project status report by November 1, 2024 and a final report by June 1, 2025 (report templates will be provided)
Agree to the conditions outlined in the Library OER Grant Agreement before accessing the funds

Non-financial support

The Library will assist grant recipients with locating existing OER, copyright compliance and licensing, using the Pressbooks digital authoring platform and H5P Studio (provided by eCampusOntario), and making the resulting resource discoverable at uOttawa and beyond (including in uO Research and eCampusOntario’s Open Library).

Recipients are also encouraged to consult with experts at the Teaching and Learning Support Service for support related to university pedagogy, online instructional design, graphic design, user experience design, web programming and development, educational technologies, audio-visual and videoconferencing equipment, videography and video editing, and distance education.

Questions

Three bilingual information sessions have been scheduled via the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS):

Thursday, December 14, 2023, 2:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024, 1:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 1, 2024, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.

To book a consultation for for questions about the grant program, contact the Open Education Librarian at [email protected]

References

The Library OER grant documentation is adapted from the following sources:

Toronto Metropolitan University Library and Archive Open Educational Resources (OER) Grants
University of Alberta Centre for Teaching and Learning University of Alberta OER Grants
University of Ottawa Library Research Grant Program Operations and Procedures
University of Regina OER Program Funded Grants
University of Waterloo OER Fellows Grant Guidelines
Western Libraries Open Educational Resources Grant and Support Program

Unless otherwise noted, the content on this page is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence.