Competition

* Unless explicitly noted, all times indicated for deadlines are for the appropriate NL timezone (NST or NDT)

Dimensions Canada publicly recognizes postsecondary institutions seeking to increase equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in their environments and across the research ecosystem. This will support equitable access to funding opportunities, increase equitable and inclusive participation, and embed EDI-related considerations in research design and practices.

The Dimensions program was co-developed during a pilot period (2018-2023) with a cohort of 17 postsecondary institutions from across Canada. It is intended to be “inclusive by design”—each part co-created in collaboration with those members of the research ecosystem who will use it and, hopefully, benefit from it.

This flagship initiative of the Tri-agency EDI Action Plan is administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

There are four stages of recognition intended to reflect the journey of carrying out EDI work and achieving success. A Dimensions recognition acknowledges institutions that are inclusive of equity-deserving groups including women, Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis), persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups, and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, as well as individuals who identify as or belong to more than one of these groups. Institutions should recognize circumstances wherein other groups may also face barriers. The program encompasses all disciplines and is open to all eligible postsecondary institutions.

Objective

The objective of the Dimensions program is to foster transformational change within the research community at Canadian postsecondary institutions by identifying and eliminating obstacles and inequities in access, admissions, recruitment, career development and security, pay, working and learning conditions, resources, retention, and progression. For the purposes of the program, the research community includes students, non-academic and support staff, part-time and full-time academic staff, post-doctoral fellows, researchers, higher management and partners.

Applicant

To be eligible to apply, the applicant must:

• be an authorized institutional official acting on behalf of an eligible institution;

• agree to the Terms and Conditions of Applying.

Because these awards are at the institutional level, the applicant is expected to be a senior administrator of the institution, such as a vice president. Submission of the application must be authorized by the president, or equivalent, of the institution.

In addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, this Intent to Apply (EOI/LOI/NOI) must also be submitted for Departmental, HSS Faculty, and Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) institutional reviews and approvals via Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP). In order to facilitate the HSS Faculty’s administrative review, please ensure "Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)" and “Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)” are added as "Team Members" on your RP file. If invited to full application, HSS and RIS reviews will again be mandatory.

In accordance with University-wide approval protocols, all tabs of the RP file must be completed, the completed application must be uploaded to the “Attachments” tab, all supporting documentation including support for cash and in-kind commitments and/or letters of support must also be uploaded, and “Submit” must be pressed prior to the HSS internal deadline listed below. HSS cannot guarantee completion of an administrative review for application files that are incomplete and/or are submitted after the HSS deadline. For more detailed submission instructions and information, please consult the HSS Research Support Services website.

If you plan to apply to this competition or other research funding opportunities (as either PI or CI), e-mail an HSS Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050), to notify the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of your intent to apply. E-mailing the intent to apply as early as possible will help to facilitate an efficient review. A Grants Facilitator can answer any questions you may have about internal or external submission procedures and may also be able to help with proposal development.