Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity

The primary objectives of the Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity are to:

• Fund bold and game-changing institutional-level initiatives that will challenge the status quo, spark change and take action to address persistent systemic barriers in the research ecosystem and academia;
• 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.

Visit the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) website for more information on the Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity.

Value and Duration

• $100,000 for a one-year project carried out by eligible faculty members and/or institutional administrators (six team members total)
• Up to three awards will be presented each year

Overview

The CRC Program is inviting eligible institutions to submit nominations to the Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity. This award recognizes the contributions that Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Louise Forsyth, Glenis Joyce, Audrey Kobayashi, Shree Mulay, Susan Prentice, Michèle Ollivier and Wendy Robbins have made to increase equity in the CRC Program and Canada’s research ecosystem more broadly.

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, faculty members must:

• Be eligible to receive grant funding from the tri-agencies;
• Hold a full-time academic appointment at the institution at the time of nomination and for the duration of the award; and
• Be in good standing with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Institutional administrators who are eligible to hold grant funding from the agencies are also eligible for nomination.

Components of the Nomination Dossier

1. Nomination form
2. Description of the proposed project (four pages max. for English; five pages max. for French)
3. Budget (one page max. for English and French)
4. Institutional nomination letter and rationale (three pages max. for English; three and a half pages max. for French)
5. Institutional nomination process and support for the initiative (two pages max. for English; two and a half pages max. for French)

Institutional Quota

Each institution may only submit one nomination per year for this award. An internal competition to identify and support the nominee or team will be held.

How to Apply

Internal Selection

Interested applicants are asked to submit the following parts of the nomination dossier:

1. Description of the proposed project (four pages max.) that includes:
   • 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.
2. Budget (one page max) that clearly shows how the $100,000 award will be used to meet the objectives stated in the project description over one year.
3.  Short summary (two pages total for English, two and a half pages total for French) of each faculty member’s overall contributions to and leadership in addressing inequities at Carleton and/or the research ecosystem and academia more broadly, in alignment with the program’s selection criteria.

Please submit these documents as one PDF by Thursday, September 4, 2025 by 4 p.m. to Rachel Barken.

The Office of the Vice-President (Research, Innovation and International) (OVPRII) will consult with equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) experts, including the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities (EIC), to establish an internal review committee to determine which applicant or team will be nominated.

Deadlines

• Internal: Thursday, September 4, 2025 by 4 p.m.
• External: Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Contact Us

OVPRII contact: Rachel Barken (rachel.barken@carleton.ca)

Potential applicants are also encouraged to discuss this funding opportunity with their Faculty Research Facilitator.