4 External Grants and Awards

In this section:

4.1 Meet the Team
4.2 Research Facilitation Service Statement
4.3 How do I work with my Research Facilitator?
4.4 How do I find funding opportunities?
4.5 What are the common funding agencies?
4.6 What institutional contributions to external grants does Laurier make?
4.7 Do I have to notify the university if I am applying for a grant?
4.8 What are the Laurier grant budgeting guidelines?
4.9 What is Laurier’s policy on contract research?
4.10 What happens to equipment that I have purchased through my grant if I leave the institution?
4.11 External grant writing advice and resources
4.12 What external awards and recognition can I recieve?​​

If you are unable to find the answer you are looking for in this section, please contact us here.

4.1 Meet the Team

Ildiko de Boer, Manager Research Facilitation

Ildiko de Boer, PhD, graduated from the University of Guelph with a PhD in Plant Agriculture, where she specialized in plant physiology. Prior to joining Laurier in 2014, Ildiko worked with researchers and industry in identifying and securing funding opportunities.

The Manager, Research Facilitation provides leadership to grants facilitators, and supports the Vice-President Research and Associate Vice-President, Research in developing and implementing key strategic initiatives and priority setting for major research funding.  

Contact Information

E: ideboer@wlu.ca

Heather Hager, Research Facilitator, Natural Sciences

Heather Hager received her doctorate from the University of Regina in the field of ecology.  She has worked in various capacities as science writer, editor, and researcher, most recently at University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University, prior to joining Laurier’s Office of Research Services.

Contact Information

E: hhager@wlu.ca

Kate Cain, SSH Facilitator (all SSHRC eligible faculty in Arts, Geography, Music, FSW and Education)

Kate received her doctorate in Sociology from the University of Toronto where she studied the impact of criminal labeling and punishment on the wrongly convicted. Before joining the Office of Research Services, she worked as course instructor and research associate at Laurier and the University of Toronto.

The research facilitator social sciences and humanities, works one-on-one with faculty in the social sciences and humanities to identify funding opportunities and to support the development of successful research grants. The facilitator reviews and provides feedback on grant applications, delivers workshops about grant opportunities and grant writing principles, and meets with faculty to develop multi-year research funding plans.

Contact Information

E: kcain@wlu.ca

Nan Zhou, SSH Facilitator (all SSHRC eligible faculty in LSBE, Psychology, Health Science and Kinesiology)

The research facilitator , works one-on-one with faculty to identify funding opportunities and to support the development of successful research grants. The facilitator reviews and provides feedback on grant applications, delivers workshops about grant opportunities and grant writing principles, and meets with faculty to develop multi-year research funding plans.

E: nzhou@wlu.ca

Lara Fullenwieder, Brantford Facilitator

The research facilitator Brantford, works one-on-one with faculty on the Brantford campus to identify funding opportunities and to support the development of successful research grants. The facilitator reviews and provides feedback on grant applications, delivers workshops about grant opportunities and grant writing principles, and meets with faculty to develop multi-year research funding plans.

Contact Information

E: lfullenwieder@wlu.ca

4.2 Research Facilitation Team Service Statement

Research Facilitators are committed to assisting faculty members with all aspects related to funding support for their research activities. This includes identifying and promoting external grants, contracts, and fellowship opportunities relevant to faculty members’ areas of research and career stage. Facilitators are dedicated to providing tailored support throughout the grant application cycle on all components of applications to ensure the highest quality proposals are submitted to external funders.  Services include:

  • Identifying and promoting external funding opportunities. To receive weekly email notifications of upcoming research notices and grant opportunities, please subscribe to the VPR email newsletter list. Visit our newsletter archives.   
  • Assisting faculty in mapping out a long-term plan to grow and fund their research activities.   
  • Advising on, and interpreting, funding agency requirements, including financial guidelines and other considerations; serve as a liaison between faculty and funding agencies.  
  • Providing substantive assistance in the preparation and submission of applications, from idea generation to final submission. This assistance includes detailed, comprehensive critique of the entire grant package, including budget.  
  • Reviewing and interpreting feedback on unsuccessful applications to assist researchers in strengthening future applications.  
  • Facilitating development of research partnerships and collaborations.   
  • Drafting letters of support and obtaining authorized university representative signatures as required.   
  • Assisting in contract/agreement negotiation and review and obtaining authorized university representative signatures as required. Please note that only authorized university representatives are eligible to sign contracts and agreements.  
  • Hosting workshops on funding opportunities and the successful development of grant applications.  
  • Prepare nomination packages for external awards that recognize research excellence.   

4.3 How do I work with my Research Facilitator?

Preparing a research grant application can be both exciting and daunting. Your Research Facilitator can work with you each step of the way to focus on what is most important and maximize your chances of success.  

Identify Opportunities

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Your Research Facilitator can… ​

  • Identify funding opportunities and potential research partners. 
  • Discuss your long-term research plan, and how to achieve it. 
  • Offer workshops on specific funding opportunities. 
  • Share funding opportunities related to your research as they arise. 

Craft Application 

Your Research Facilitator can… 

  • Provide resources related to specific opportunities. 
  • Determine eligibility and interpret funder guidelines
  • Consult with funding agencies to answer any questions. 
  • Brainstorm ways to effectively frame a project and approach application sections.  
  • Identify project needs related to infrastructure, personnel, partner contributions (if applicable), knowledge mobilization, etc.  
  • Draft a letter of support and obtain authorized university signatures. 

Review Application 

Research Facilitator can… 

  • Provide detailed feedback on all components of an application, including the project description, methodology, budget, knowledge mobilization plan and student training plan. 
  • Ensure alignment between all application components. 
  • Ensure compliance with funder guidelines. 
  • Provide final-stage editing to polish and enhance your application.   
  • Facilitate external peer-review of your application for some Tri-Agency opportunities.

Submit Application 

Your Research Facilitator can… 

  • Assist with general problem solving related to submitting; complete administrative review or submit on applicant’s behalf as required by the funder.  
  • Obtain Office of Research Services signatures on application (as required), the external grant, contract and research donation  cover sheet and other funding related documents. Please note that the external grant and contract cover sheet is a mandatory form that must submitted to your Research Facilitator for all grants and contracts.  

Results

Your Research Facilitator can… 

  • Notify applicants when results are communicated directly to the Office of Research Services. 
  • Assist in contract/agreement negotiation and review, and obtain authorized university representative signatures as required.  
  • If successful, your facilitator will send your application, Notice of Award, and other documentation to Research Ethics. After the project receives ethics approval, it will be sent to Research Finance who will provide you with an index code to use the funds. 
  • If unsuccessful, your facilitator can meet with you to discuss the assessment and reviewer feedback, and will work with you to revise the application for a future competition. 

Please contact your Researcher Facilitator for support in any step of the application cycle or with any other research related questions.  

4.4 How do I find funding opportunities?

The Vice-President, Research Newsletter is a weekly email issued by the Office of Research Services.  The newsletter highlights funding opportunities, research stories, and upcoming events.  Previous newsletter are archived here.  To subscribe to the newsletter, contact  research@wlu.ca. 

4.5 What are the most common funding agencies?

4.5.1 The Tri-Agencies

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) support and promote high-quality research in a wide variety of disciplines and areas.  The granting agencies were created by Acts of Parliament, which define their individual mandates.  In turn, these mandates define the areas of research funded by each agency. The agencies have each developed their own general guidelines for the eligibility of subject matter the agencies recognize, however, that some areas of research will overlap two or more granting agencies. Therefore, individual agency mandates have been interpreted in order to ensure that areas of research that cross agency boundaries are eligible for support.  More information on the general guidelines for the eligibility of the subject matter for each agency can be found here.

4.5.2 Canada Foundation for Innovation

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) makes financial contributions to support the purchase, and subsequent operations and maintenance of world-class tools and infrastructure.   

What Funding is available? 

CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF): The JELF enables a select number of an institution’s excellent researchers to undertake leading-edge research by providing them with the foundational research infrastructure required to be or become leaders in their field.  CFI provides every institution with an allocation of CFI JELF funding, proportional to the amount of Tri-Agency funding the institution receives.   The Office of Research Services holds an annual open call for proposals, issued through the VPR Newsletter, in June, where faculty members may submit requests to apply for a CFI JELF award.    Generally Laurier allows faculty member to apply for projects with a total cost of $150K.

CFI Innovation Fund: Every 24 to 30 months the CFI Innovation Fund competition is held.  The program offers funding for infrastructure project >$1M submitted by a large team of researchers.  An allocation of funding, proportional to Tri-Agency funding held by the institution, is issued to the institution.   

Use of CFI Purchased Equipment All equipment purchased from CFI funds belong to the university. It is the responsibility of the institution to maximize its use, and, where possible, make it available to all faculty at the university who can make use of it in their research programs.

CFI Funding ​Formula  CFI funds up to 40 percent of the total project costs.  The remaining is typically funded by the Ontario Research Fund (40 percent) and other contributions (eligible in-kind discounts, partner contributions, 20 percent). 

Infrastructure Operating​ Fund:  Refer to the Office of Research Services CFI Infrastructure Operating Fund​ page.  

4.5.3 Mitacs

Mitacs​ is a national, not-for-profit organization that offers funding to support partnerships between universities and external organizations, predominately through student training and internship programs. 

4.6 What institutional contributions or matching funds to external grants does Laurier make?

Some external funding applications require institutional contributions or matching funds. The amount recommended for each competition is dependent on a number of factors including the size of the award, the expectation of the funder and previous experiences with the program. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and will be revisited as funding programs evolve.  

All contributions must be confirmed with your Research Facilitator in advance of submitting your application. Please reach out to your Research Facilitator for any questions.  

Social sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) 

Partnership Grants 

  • In-kind: $2,000/year for knowledge mobilization and communications from the Office of Research Services.  

    Standard student funding (scholarships/TAships) offered to eligible domestic students. The valuation of this support will depend on the number of students supported and guaranteed minimums offered to students in your unit.

  • Cash (recommended): ~$20,000-$38,000/year in strategic support to be used where needed.   ​​

Partnerships Development Grants

  • In-kind: $2,000/year for knowledge mobilization and communications from the Office of Research Services. 

    Standard student funding (scholarships/TAships) offered to eligible domestic students. The valuation of this support will depend on the number of students supported and guaranteed minimums offered to students in your unit.

  • Cash (recommended): $5,000 for project coordination.  

Partnership Engage Grants 

  • In-kind: $2,000/year for knowledge mobilization and communications from the Office of Research Services. 

    Standard student funding (scholarships/TAships) offered to eligible domestic students. The valuation of this support will depend on the number of students supported and guaranteed minimums offered to students in your unit.

Connection Grants

  • In-kind: $2,000/year for knowledge mobilization and communications from the Office of Research Services. 

    Standard student funding (scholarships/TAships) offered to eligible domestic students. The valuation of this support will depend on the number of students supported and guaranteed minimums offered to students in your unit.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) 

I2I Market Assessment 

  • Cash (mandatory): $5,000.   ​

Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) 

  • Cash (recommended): $20,000/year.

  • In-kind: Standard student funding (scholarships/TAships) offered to eligible domestic students. The valuation of this support will depend on the number of students supported and guaranteed minimums offered to students in your unit.

New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF)  Transformation 

  • ​Cash (recommended): $85,000/year for a project manager or other indirect expense.  

4.7 Do I have to notify the university if I am applying for a grant?

Yes. If you are apply for an external grant, you must complete an External Grant Coversheet​ prior to submission as outlined in Laurier Policy 11.8​.

4.8 What are the Laurier grant budgeting guidelines?

Refer to the Office​ of Research Services Budgeting Guidelines.

4.9 What is Laurier’s policy on contract research?

Refer to Policy 11.2 Contract Research.

4.10 What happens to equipment that I have purchased through my grant if I leave the institution?

Refer to Policy 11.4 Equipment and Materials Purchased through Grants and Contracts​​.

4.11 External grant writing advice and resources

4.12 What external awards and recognition can I recieve?

Alexander von Humboldt Research Award  
The Alexander von Humboldt Research Award is granted in recognition of a researcher’s entire achievements to date, honouring academics whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact on their own discipline and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements in the future.  

Arrell Global Food Innovation Awards  
The Arrell Global Food Innovation Awards offers two $125,000 prizes each year to researchers who have had a positive international impact in promoting the understanding of food production, processing, distribution, consumption, safety, and/or human nutrition or who have helped improve nutritional health and/or food security to disadvantaged communities.  

Balzan Prizes  
The Balzan Prizes, awarded by the Italian/Swiss International Balzan Foundation, are chosen in two general subject areas: Literature, Moral Sciences and the Arts; and the Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences and Medicine. The four Balzan Prizes, two per category, are awarded to scholars, artists and scientists who have distinguished themselves in their fields on an international level  

Fulbright Awards  
Fulbright awards are open to Canadian scholars in all fields and are designed to enable emerging and established scholars to conduct research, teach, or undertake a combination of both activities for one semester or a full academic year at any university or research center of their choice in the United States.  

Killam Prizes  
Killam Prizes honour distinguished Canadian scholars working in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering. These awards are some of the most prestigious research prizes in Canada.    

Killam Research Fellowships  
Killam Research Fellowships provide support to scholars of exceptional ability who are engaged in research projects of broad significance and widespread interest. The fellowships provide two years of release time from teaching and administrative duties.  

Ontario Early Researcher Awards  
The Early Researcher Awards program gives funding to new researchers working at publicly funded Ontario research institutions to build a research team.  

Royal Society of Canada - Awards  
The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) awards prestigious medals in a number of disciplines to its fellowship.    

Royal Society of Canada - College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists  
The Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists are Canadians and Permanent Residents who, at an early stage in their career, have demonstrated a high level of achievement. The criteria for election is excellence, and membership is for seven years. Up to 100 Members may be elected each year.  

Royal Society of Canada - Fellowships  
The Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada is comprised of distinguished researchers, scholars, and artists who have made remarkable contributions to their discipline.  

Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellowships  
Fellows elected to the Academy have demonstrated leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies, and a commitment to advancing the academic health sciences.  

CIHR Gold Leaf Prizes  
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Gold Leaf Prizes celebrate achievements across all pillars of research (biomedical, clinical, health services and policy, and population and public health) and are awarded every two years.  

Canada Gairdner International Awards  
Canada Gairdner International Awards recognize outstanding biomedical scientists who have made original contributions to medicine with the goal of contributing through research to increased understandings of human biology and disease.   

John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award  
The John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award recognizes the world’s leading researchers who have used rational, scientifically based research to improve the wellbeing of those facing health inequalities worldwide.  

Canada Gairdner Wightman Award  
The Canada Gairdner Wightman Award is given to a scientist who has demonstrated outstanding national leadership in medicine and medical science in Canada.   

Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research  
The award, announced each spring, supports an annual fall lecture or series of lectures by a worthy and accomplished speaker of international stature on topics related to the advancement of health research and its evolving contribution to society.   

L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science  
The L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science aims to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress. The awards are a result of a partnership between the French cosmetics company L’Oréal and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  

​Canadian Association of Geographers Awards  
The Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) funds several awards for outstanding researchers in Canadian geography. Nominees must be current members of the CAG, except in the case of the Award for Geography in the Service of Government or Business.  

Folger Institute Fellowships  
Each year, the Folger Institute awards five long-term and several dozen short-term fellowships at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C.   

Guggenheim Fellowships  
Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded to exceptional midcareer scholars and creative artists.   

Holberg Prize  
The Holberg Prize is awarded annually to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to research in the arts and humanities, social sciences, law or theology - either within these fields or through interdisciplinary work. The prizewinner must have had a decisive influence on international research.  

Huntington Fellowships  
Huntington Fellowships support high-quality research that advances scholarship in the humanities and makes use of The Huntington Library’s extensive archival and rare book collections. Recipients of all fellowships are expected to be in continuous residence at The Huntington and to participate in, and make a contribution to, its intellectual life.  

Canadian Council Awards  
The Canada Council awards a broad range of prestigious prizes to more than 200 Canadian artists and scholars in recognition of their quest for innovation and excellence.  

National Humanities Center Fellowships  
The National Humanities Center offers fellowships for advanced study in the humanities. In addition to scholars from all fields of the humanities, the Center accepts individuals from the natural and social sciences, the arts, the professions, and public life who are engaged in humanistic projects.  

SSHRC Impact Awards  
The SSHRC Impact Awards recognize outstanding researchers and celebrate their achievements in research, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or completely by SSHRC. They include the Gold Medal, the Talent Award, the Insight Award, the Connection Award, and the Partnership Award.   

Trudeau Foundation Fellowships  
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship offers sustained support to intellectuals who are recognized for their productivity, their commitment to communicating their findings to the public, and their ability to devise innovative solutions to some of the major issues facing our society.  

American Physical Society Honors  
The American Physical Society offers a broad range of awards and prizes to recognize outstanding contributions and achievements in research, education and public service.  

Blue Planet Prize  
The Blue Planet Prize is an award presented to individuals or organizations in recognition of outstanding achievements in scientific research on global environmental problems. The Prize is offered in the hopes of encouraging efforts to bring about the healing of the Earth’s fragile environment.  

Brockhouse Canada Prize The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering recognizes outstanding Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who produced a record of excellent achievements in the natural sciences and engineering in the last six years.  

Canadian Association of Physicists Medals  
Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) recognizes achievements across many branches of research in physics.  

Canadian Mathematical Society Awards The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) awards include the Jeffery-Williams Prize to recognize mathematicians who have made outstanding contributions to mathematical research, and the Krieger-Nelson Prize to recognize outstanding research by a female mathematician.  

Canadian Society of Zoologists Awards  
The Canadian Society of Zoologists recognizes excellence in research. Many prizes and awards are given every year by the Zoological Education Trust (ZET) and the sections, members of the Society and CSZ.  

Chemical Institute of Canada Awards  
The Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) recognizes outstanding contributions to research in the chemical sciences and engineering.   

Eni Award  
The Eni Award recognizes outstanding advances in renewable energy research.  

Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship Uo to six Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships are awarded annually to enhance the career development of outstanding and highly promising scientists and engineers at Canadian universities.  

Geological Association of Canada  
The Geological Association of Canada funds a broad range of awards to recognize prominent Canadian geological contributions. 

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)  
The IUPAC offers a range of awards to recognize scientific excellence in chemistry.  

The Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU)   
The CGU recognizes excellence in Canadian geosciences through a number of prestigious awards for our members. These awards are dispersed at the Union and Section levels, and include several student awards.   

NSERC Prizes  
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) celebrates research excellence with a wide range of prizes.  

Ramon Margalef Prize  
The Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology is awarded annually to recognize an exceptional scientific career or discovery in the field of ecology or other environmental science. It is open to ecologists from anywhere in the world.  

Sloan Research Fellowships  
The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise.   

Society of Toxicology of Canada Awards  
The Society of Toxicology of Canada (STC) offers the Gabriel L. PlAA Award of Distinction and the V.E. Henderson Award to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the discipline of toxicology in Canada.   

Steacie Prize  
The Steacie Prize is named in memory of E.W.R. Steacie, a physical chemist and former President of the National Research Council of Canada, to whom much is owed for the development of science in Canada. The Prize is awarded annually to a young scientist or engineer in Canada.  

Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement  
The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is the premier award for environmental science, environmental health and energy conferring great benefit upon humankind.  

Volvo Environment Prize  
Established in 1988, the Volvo Environment Prize​ has become one of the scientific world’s most respected environmental prizes. It is awarded for “Outstanding innovations or scientific discoveries which in broad terms fall within the environmental field.” Laureates represent all fields of environmental and sustainability studies and initiatives.​​