Guidelines and Procedures

Purpose: To enhance Lakehead University’s international research reputation and understanding of global challenges through increased engagement with international partners. This will be achieved by: 1) developing and expanding international partnerships; 2) supporting the involvement of Lakehead researchers and scholars in international research networks and projects; 3) facilitating and expanding access to international funding opportunities; and 4) enhancing collaborative training opportunities for students.

Eligibility: Open to all full-time, tenure-track and tenured Lakehead faculty members. Previous award recipients are eligible, but the proposed research collaboration must be distinct from the previous project.

Funding: The program will provide seed grants to set up sustainable research collaborations with international partners. Up to $10,000 per project will be available. Funds must be spent by August 31, 2023, with the final report due November 1, 2023.

Application deadline: June 10, 2022

Eligible Activities: The program will support expenses associated with:

1) the preparation of a joint funding application (i.e., international travel to attend international meetings, workshops, proposal preparation expenses including grant writing/copy editing support, etc.);

2) participation in an international joint workshop that has the potential to result in long-term collaborations;

3) subsistence allowance for short-term stays abroad to develop strategic international partnerships, and

4) other activities that are demonstrably crucial to the development of the collaboration.

Please note that conference travel is not eligible, nor are expenses for bringing collaborators to Canada.

Application Requirements: An application must be submitted through the Romeo Research Portal. In addition to the application and budget questions in the ROMEO application, the following supporting documents are required to be uploaded as attachments:

• Timeline of proposed activities;
• Budget, including details of other grants awarded / applied for and any support from partner institution(s), if applicable;
• Current CVs of the applicant(s) and the international collaborator(s), and
• Letter(s) of invitation or letters of support indicating contributions from international partner institutions (if applicable).

Approval procedure: The VPRI will establish an internal peer review committee to rank and recommend projects for funding based on the following criteria:

a) The merit of the proposal and degree to which the proposed activities provide mutual benefits towards the development and growth of international research collaborations;

b) Potential impact of the project’s expected outcomes;

c) Appropriateness of proposed expenditures and budget justification;

d) The academic excellence and research background of all researchers involved in the project;

e) Ability to leverage or match external funding; and

f) Demonstrated commitment from partner institutions through financial or in-kind support of the collaboration (recommended but not mandatory).

A current listing of all international MOUs is here.

A final report outlining evidence of project deliverables and projected research outcomes must be submitted through the Romeo Research Portal within two months of completion. Researchers will be ineligible to submit future funding applications until the final report has been submitted.

For assistance, please contact Jill Sherman, International Research Facilitator, at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.

Revised May 11, 2022