Government of Canada Awards - 2012 Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDRF)

Overview

As part of the Government of Canada Awards, the Government of Canada offers one-year Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDRF) tenable at recognized public Canadian universities, affiliated research institutes, and colleges with a strong research mandate.

The PDRF is designed to provide research opportunities to promising recent doctoral graduates in the natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities. Fellowships are not offered to professional artists or to those wishing to do clinical research and training involving patient-care.

Scholarship Value

The total value of the fellowship is $36,500 CAD and it is taxable in Canada.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) classifies these funds as a research grant but it is the responsibility of fellows to submit an income tax return to the Cana`da Revenue Agency who will make an assessment according to individual circumstances.

As no dependant allowance is payable, it is essential that fellows who plan to bring their family to Canada have sufficient financial resources for their support.

Scholarship Duration

A fellowship is for 12 months and is not renewable.

Background

The Government of Canada Awards are based on reciprocal agreements between Canada and foreign governments. The Government of Canada's objective in establishing the Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships is to attract promising, recent doctoral graduates to do research in Canada. The Government wishes to support research that clearly advances the scholar's own career and that is useful to Canada or to the research team within which the scholar proposes to work.

Student

Eligibility

Applicants:

• must be citizens of one of the following countries: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russia or Switzerland. Applicants who have obtained Canadian citizenship or applied for permanent residency in Canada are ineligible;
• must have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline. Completion refers to the date on which all requirements of the degree have been met including successful defence. Consideration may be given to extend this period for applicants who have withdrawn from active research for maternity purposes; and
• must be invited to a post-doctoral position at a recognized public Canadian universities, affiliated research institute or college with a strong research mandate.

Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Canadian government scholarship to study in Canada.

Desired Qualifications

The following qualifications are not essential but are desirable and may be a deciding factor in pre-selecting candidates where there are a high number of applications. In the current competition, this may apply to applicants from Italy and France.

Applicants:

• have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree no more than two years before the application deadline. Completion refers to the date on which all requirements of the degree have been met including successful defence;
• have never received a scholarship or fellowship through the Government of Canada [Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) or DFAIT]; and
• have proposed research which has the potential to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their field and which is of potential interest and value to Canada and its society.

Terms and Conditions

Applicants should refer to the Terms and Conditions (View/download PDF * - 85 kb.) for regulations about holding the award, such as the start date, holding other funding and employment.

Application Process

To be considered for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (PDRF), an applicant:

• must complete and submit an online application;
• must ensure three letters of recommendation are sent to the scholarship administrator as well as the Embassy of Canada in the country of application; and
• must submit to the Embassy of Canada an electronic copy of all supporting documents before or by the deadline.

Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Instructions

Applicants are encouraged to read the instructions below carefully before beginning the online application. If applicants experience difficulty filling out or submitting the application, applicants should send an email to admin-scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca.

Applicants:

• must enter data in the fields provided, following the instructions for each item;
• must, upon completion, verify the data prior to submitting;
• can obtain a hard copy for record keeping by printing the form using the print function in the browser, prior to submitting;
• must click SUBMIT. A confirmation page and reference number will appear after submission.

Supporting Documentation

The following documentation, with the exception of letters of recommendation, must be uploaded to the online application form. In addition, an electronic copy must be sent to the designated Embassy of Canada. Applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Supporting Documents (View/download PDF * - 110 kb.) for information on preparing and submitting documents.

1. Letter of Intent: The letter of intent should outline how the fellowship in Canada will further the applicant’s career path and include a rationale for the country, the institution, and the supervisor chosen. (Maximum two pages)
2. Research Proposal: The research proposal must describe the major work the applicant wishes to pursue: its precise nature, its purpose, and the proposed methodology or approach. Applicants are advised to write their research proposal in plain language. Members of the selection committee are from a broad range of disciplines and may not have expertise in the applicants’ area of study. It is expected that applicants will write their own research proposal independently, and that the ideas and/or text belonging to others be properly referenced. (Maximum four pages)
3. Curriculum Vitae: The curriculum vitae should not include photographs or any personal information such as a date of birth. (Maximum four pages)
4. List of Publications: This document should list scholarly publications which have been authored (or co-authored with a description of the applicant’s contribution) in bibliographic format appropriate to the discipline. In addition, an abstract (maximum 500 words each) must be included for up to three publications. Applicants should not send publications. (Maximum four pages)
5. Letter of Invitation: The letter of invitation must be written on the institution’s letterhead from a recognized public Canadian university, affiliated research institute or college with a strong research mandate. The letter must clearly indicate who will supervise the fellow’s work and must be signed by the proposed supervisor. (Maximum two pages)
6. Copies of Degree Certificates/Diplomas: The copies should include undergraduate and graduate degrees. If the degrees are in a different language, they must include translation into English or French by a certified translator. ¹
7. Letters of Recommendation: Each application must include three letters of recommendation from people who are well acquainted with the applicant’s scholarly work.

• One letter from a supervisor at the graduate or undergraduate level;
• One letter from a supervisor at the PhD level;
• One letter from an academic or alternatively an employer familiar with the applicant’s academic work and career path.

Referees should use the Letter of Recommendation form (View/download PDF * - 605 kb.) and may also include one additional letter signed and on official letterhead. Referees should comment as fully as possible on the applicant, keeping in mind the following points for inclusion, as appropriate:

• How long, and in what capacity, they have known the applicant;
• Their relationship to the applicant (i.e. undergraduate supervisor, PhD supervisor);
• Their views on the applicant's academic record and suitability for the proposed research program in general and need for the particular subject of study in Canada.

Information on how, and to what extent, the applicant has shown ability in terms of:

• Research potential;
• Capacity for original thought;
• Motivation and perseverance in achieving objectives;
• Assessment of the applicant's particular strengths and weaknesses; and
• Any other general qualities which they consider would make the applicant a worthy scholarship recipient.

Letters of recommendation must be sent separately, by the referee, to the scholarship administrator at admin-scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca as well as the designated Embassy of Canada in the country of application. Document titles must clearly identify the name of the applicant. The letters of recommendation must arrive by the deadline for the application to be considered.

Deadline

The deadline is November 12, 2011. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.

For documentation required from institutions (i.e. letters of invitation and letters of recommendation), applicants are reminded that it may take time for these documents to be processed. It is advisable that applicants plan ahead and ensure sufficient time to gather the material prior to the deadline. Reference letters received past the deadline will not be accepted.

Links for designated Embassy of Canada contact information:

Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russia, Switzerland

Review Procedures and Conditions

Selection Process

All applications are reviewed by the agency that coordinates the competition in the country of application. All complete applications received by the deadline that meet the eligibility requirements are evaluated. The agency recommends a list of pre-selected candidates to the scholarship program administrator in Canada.

Note that pre-selection does not guarantee an award. This is a very competitive program with a limited numbers of awards (approximately two to eight) available to citizens of each eligible country. Only pre-selected applications will be sent to Canada for review by the Canadian Scholarship Selection Committee.

The Canadian Scholarship Selection Committee is made up of individuals from the academic community representing all regions of Canada, both official language groups and a wide variety of academic disciplines. This Committee reviews, evaluates and ranks pre-selected candidates to make a final recommendation to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT).

Selection Criteria

The merit and overall credentials of the applicant, including academic and/or professional experience will be evaluated using the following selection criteria:

Proposed Research

The evaluation of the merit of the proposed research will be based on the following:

• clarity, feasibility, purpose, and proposed methodology or approach of the research he/she wishes to pursue;
• the rationale for the institution(s), and the supervisor(s) he/she has chosen; and

• the relevance of doing research in Canada.

Candidate's Aptitudes

• The evaluation of the candidate's aptitude and potential will be based on the entire application including the strengths of the letter of invitation and letters of recommendation.

Communication, Interpersonal and Leadership Abilities

• The evaluation of communication, interpersonal and leadership abilities will be based on how well the applicant has organized his/her studies and research to meet appropriate academic goals.

The final selection is based on academic merit, aptitude, motivation and the quality of the research plan as presented by the nominee, as well as in the letter of invitation and letters of recommendation.

Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Canadian government scholarship to study in Canada.

Notification

The scholarship program administrator in Canada notifies all pre-selected candidates of the final results by email before April 30th, 2012. Applicants must ensure that a permanent email address is included in the application.

Conditions

All rules and procedures of the Government of Canada Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships apply to this competition.

Applications and documents submitted to the designated agency in the country of application will not be returned.

Fellowships are subject to the availability of funding.

Online Application

For inquiries concerning the treatment of personal information in the custody of DFAIT the individuals may contact DFAIT’s Scholarships Program Manager at: Scholarships-Info-Bourses-PRE@international.gc.ca.

http://www.scholarships-bourses.gc.ca/scholarships-bourses/non_can/pdrf-brpd.aspx?lang=eng&view=d


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