Call for nominations – Research Chair in Science Diplomacy

Status: Closed

The Research Chair in Science Diplomacy (RCSD) program — the product of a partnership between the University of Ottawa and the Embassy of France in Canada — became official with the signing of a memorandum of understanding that took effect on April 24, 2023, as part of the renewal of scientific collaboration between France and Canada. Built on the expertise of researchers at the University of Ottawa and in France, the program seeks to address novel challenges related to science diplomacy.

Science diplomacy (SD) refers to a specific field of international relations in which the interests of science intersect with those of foreign policy. SD is based on three complementary facets: (i) diplomacy for science; (ii) science for diplomacy; and (iii) science in diplomacy. The definition used in this call for nominations is presented in “Science Diplomacy. On several basic notions and key questions.”

This call for nominations is open to researchers who wish to critically examine a question or method in fields that intersect diplomacy and science, regardless of the researcher’s discipline, be it the social sciences, science and technology, or medicine.

This call for nominations aims to select two chairholders of the Research Chair in Science Diplomacy (one at the University of Ottawa and the other in France) for a two-year term. The chairholders will share an annual grant of $30,000 in research funds for the duration of their term, which will facilitate the organization of in-person events and meetings.

In addition to undertaking a research program and overseeing research activities related to the chair’s objectives, the chairholders will actively participate in developing and disseminating SD research, and in enhancing its reputation. Science diplomacy researchers and practitioners from around the world could be invited to Ottawa or France as part of the activities hosted by the two chairholders. The activities of the chair could also result in training for students and professionals interested or involved in the field of science diplomacy.

The research chair will be sustained primarily by the two chairholders conducting research and will be consistent with the University of Ottawa’s strategic areas of research and those defined by the French partner institution. One chairholder will be a regular professor at the University of Ottawa and the other a regular professor at a French institution.

The RCSD must explicitly aim to study one or more dimensions of science diplomacy. The chair must devote all the proposed program resources to research, to organizing research activities, and to disseminating the knowledge gained and results of that research.

The Research Chair in Science Diplomacy is funded in part by the Embassy of France in Canada. The term of the chairholders is for two years (non-renewable).

The RCSD chairholders will share annual research funding of $15,000 per year from the University of Ottawa and a contribution of up to €10,000 per year from the Embassy of France in Canada. The University of Ottawa is responsible for managing this sum, which will total around $30,000 per year.

The chairholders commit to writing a short mid-term report (3-to-5 pages) as well as a final report (including narrative and financial details) describing their activities, results, and the dissemination of the RCSD’s work. These reports will be submitted to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation and to the Embassy of France in Canada.

Individuals who currently hold, or have held, a research chair funded by the University of Ottawa (such as a University Research Chair or a Distinguished Research Chair) are not eligible for the RCSD.

Moreover, individuals who currently hold any other research chair at the University of Ottawa (such as an endowed chair or Canada Research Chair) are not eligible for a RCSD during the term of their chair.

The regulations and policies of the French institution must be complied with in full.

In closing, individuals selected in response to the call for proposals issued by the Visiting Researchers for Science Diplomacy program may apply for the RCSD.

Nominations must be submitted to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation by the dean of the faculty to which the University of Ottawa candidate is affiliated.

To avoid any conflicts of interest, please ensure that independent evaluators:

• Are not affiliated in any way with the University of Ottawa (including hospitals and research institutes) nor with the French institution concerned;
• Have no personal relationship with the nominee (including close friend, relative, former PhD or postdoctoral supervisor, mentor, student previously under the nominee’s supervision);
• Have not collaborated, published, or shared funding with the nominee in the past six years, and do not intend to do so in the immediate future;
• Will not be involved in the proposed research program;
• Are not in a position to gain or lose, financially or materially, as a result of the outcome of the nomination.