The Robbins-Ollivier Excellence in Equity Award Call for Expressions of Interest
The Robbins-Ollivier Excellence in Equity Award Call for Expressions of Interest (Deadline: September 27, 2024)
The Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI) is pleased to announce a call for expressions of interest for The Robbins-Ollivier Excellence in Equity Award 2024 competition.
This award aims to:
fund bold and potentially game-changing institutional-level initiatives that will challenge the status quo, spark change and take action to address persistent systemic barriers within the institution research ecosystem and academia more broadly;
recognize faculty members who contribute their time, expertise and lived experience to help address inequities in their institution, the research ecosystem and academia; and
provide opportunities for students and trainees to contribute to this important work.
The objective of the award is not to fund research in EDI disciplines but rather to fund initiatives to be implemented within the institution to identify and/or address systemic barriers.
Funding Available:
Three separate awards of up to $100,000 over one year will be awarded to successful institutions. The award provides a total of $100,000 over one year, with the potential for a one-year no-cost extension, to a faculty member or a team of faculty members nominated by an eligible institution, to fund the implementation of bold and potentially game-changing initiatives led by the nominated individual or team that:
contribute to the understanding of the persistence of systemic barriers in the nominating institution and, by extension, the research ecosystem and academia more broadly; and/or
identify innovative measures that could be implemented within the institution to change the status quo and break down those barriers in the long term.
Nominations are limited to initiatives that help identify and/or address systemic barriers within the nominating institution and, by extension, the research ecosystem. Research projects in EDI-focused disciplines will not be accepted.
Lakehead University will submit one nomination to this competition on November 5, 2024; however, expressions of interest must be submitted to Dr. Jocelyn Bel, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion research facilitator at edi.research@lakeheadu.ca by September 27, 2024.
All expressions of interest will require the following:
a) Description of the proposed project (four pages maximum for English)
The project description must be developed by the nominee(s) and must include:
a title and summary, written in plain language, describing the uniqueness, importance and explicit objectives of the proposed initiative (maximum of 100 words);
a detailed description of the proposed initiative that shows how it is bold and potentially game-changing;
the expected impacts/outcomes, in terms of changing the status quo and sparking change towards a more equitable institution and/or research or academic ecosystem;
who will be involved in helping implement the initiative (e.g., faculty, students, administrators) and what their specific roles will be;
how co-creation with individuals from underrepresented groups (racialized individuals, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, women, individuals from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities) will be conducted; and
how best practices in equity, including intersectionality, will be applied within the project.
b) Budget (one page maximum for English)
Provide a detailed one-year budget for the initiative that shows how the $100,000 award will be used to meet the objectives stated in the project description.
Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:
teaching/administrative release for the individual(s)
student/trainee stipend(s) or salary
research costs according to the Chairs Administration Guide
Additional details and requirements can be found here.
Page limits do not include references. Diagrams, tables and images are counted toward each page limit. Any additional documentation provided outside of that listed above will be removed from the application and will not be reviewed by the committee. The proposals will be assessed by an internal review committee and ranked based on the listed selection criteria for this award. The highest-ranked nomination will work with the Office of Research Services to amend the application before being submitted on behalf of the institution for November 5, 2024.