Multidisciplinary Research Catalyst Fund (CLOSED)

Special Call: Sustainability, Climate Change, and Energy Efficiency

The MRCF program’s special call on Sustainability, Climate Change, and Energy Efficiency provides resources and support to enable multidisciplinary research teams working in these specific areas to achieve a demonstrable increase in research impacts that goes beyond individual researchers. It is designed to support Carleton’s Strategic Integrated Plan.

The deliverables for each team include, but are not limited, to:

• A Carleton-led application focusing on the themes of sustainability, climate change, and energy efficiency to a major funding opportunity within one year of the funding start date.
• A plan to boost the multidisciplinary research productivity in the area of sustainability, climate change, and energy efficiency on a continual basis. The plan should explicitly address the positive impact on society, and if appropriate on the regulatory framework and potential economic development.
• A communications and outreach plan to promote Carleton’s multidisciplinary research excellence in the area of Sustainability, Climate Change, and Energy Efficiency, including a web site, brochures, and a professional presentation.

General Details

Value: Investment of up to $15,000 (partial funding may be awarded). (partial funding may be awarded). Funds cannot be transferred to other institutions.

Duration: Funding is for one year. End-date extensions may be grated at no cost, with adequate justification.

Deadline: September 15, 2025.

Submission: Send application to the Carleton Office for Research Initiatives and Services (CORIS) via email (cc all members of the MRCF team).

Eligibility

• Subject matter: All relevant disciplines to the themes of sustainability, climate change, and energy efficiency.
• Resubmissions: Funded MRCF teams from Rounds 1 and 2 are not eligible to receive additional funding in this competition. Separate funding will be available to previous MRCF teams who met the program’s objectives and who have justified need for additional funding.
• Eligible expenses: Research support staff (e.g. graduate students, researchers, grant writers, web developers), convening workshops, and partner travel. Teaching release may be eligible with the express written permission of your Faculty Dean and the consent of the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).
• Ineligible expenses: Research activities (e.g. field work, clinical trials, data gathering, etc.); scholarly publication costs; collection or preparation of material primarily intended for personal classroom needs or teaching purposes; Purchase of equipment; Technology transfer costs (e.g. patent filing); Alcoholic beverages.

Team

• A team must comprise four or more faculty members, meeting the following criteria:
  • Includes at least one early-career researcher. Early-career researchers are defined as individuals with five years or less experience since their first academic appointment as of the application deadline, with the exception of career interruptions that occurred after their appointment (e.g., maternity or parental leave, extended sick leave, clinical training and family care).
  • Represents researchers from multiple academic units whose individual expertise are commonly funded by different agencies (e.g., SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR or the Canada Council for the Arts).
  • May include potential external partners from research institutions (e.g., the National Research Council), industry, NGOs, foundations, hospitals, government or international partners.
  • May include adjunct research professors and professional librarians.
• Identify a designated principal investigator (PI) or two co-PIs:
  • The PI/co-PIs will be the corresponding representative(s) to receive communications about the application.
  • The PI (or at least one of the co-PIs) should be a Carleton full-time faculty member (research stream) at the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor.
• Faculty members may participate in more than one MRCF team, but cannot be the designated PI/co-PI for more than one application (either current or previously funded).
• Faculty members involved in a Round 1 or 2 MRCF team may participate in a Round 3 MRCF team.

Application

View the application instructions for more information.

Application packages should be in one attachment that includes: (i) the project title, (ii) a designated PI or co-PIs and (iii) the following sections:

1. Multidisciplinary research cluster overview (maximum ¼ page)
   • Provide a lay summary of the multidisciplinary research cluster.
2. Project description (maximum ¾ page)
   • Describe the research area, including a vision that responds to an important societal challenge.
   • Outline the transformative opportunity this funding will enable, including its impact on society, benefits to Canada and, where applicable, its economic development potential.
   • Describe the benefits to Carleton and the project’s integration with academic programs (graduate and undergraduate).
3. Team strength and synergy (maximum 1 page)
   • List each team member and describe their role in the project. Discuss how the team constitutes an interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary collaboration and how the cluster is well-positioned to address the important societal challenge.
   • Describe existing external partners and their contribution to the project.
   • Discuss how the cluster will meaningfully engage underrepresented groups and early-career researchers.
4. Project, communications and outreach plan (maximum ½ page)
   • Describe the plan for achieving the objectives and expected deliverables.
5. Budget and budget justification (maximum ½ page)
   • Include an itemized budget with justification (up to $15,000).
   • Indicate any anticipated resources needed from the Office of the Vice-President (Research, Innovation and International) (OVPRII) that would facilitate success.
6. EDI considerations (maximum ½ page)
   • Explain your plan to promote the integration of EDI-related considerations in your project design and practice, as well as your plan to increase equitable and inclusive participation in the project.
7. Curriculum Vitae (any format)
   • For each team member, provide a half page bio with a link to the researcher’s up-to-date website. If a team member does not have an appropriate website, attach their CVs (maximum of five).

Additional application guidelines:

• Explain all acronyms and abbreviations fully.
• Please use 8½” x 11″ document size, single-spaced, 11-point font and standard 1-inch margins.

Evaluation

Applications will be reviewed by a committee comprising faculty researchers and the associate deans of research. External experts will be consulted when appropriate. The committee will be chaired by the Vice-President (Research and International).

Evaluation criteria:

• Research excellence and vision
  • Addresses an important societal challenge in an area where Carleton has a pre-existing strength and a potential competitive edge relative to other institutions.
  • Has the potential to achieve transformative positive outcomes in terms of societal impact, benefits to Canada and, if applicable, economic recovery.
  • Links to external demands or societal needs/directions, thereby demonstrating potential for external partners, increase in external research funding at Carleton, and sustainability into the future.
• Team strength and synergy
  • Established excellence of the team members in terms of research productivity and funding.
  • Demonstrates interdisciplinarity/multidisciplinarity, ideally involving more than one Faculty.
  • Demonstrates the meaningful engagement and participation of early-career researchers and individuals from underrepresented groups, which include, but are not limited to, women, Indigenous peoples, members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities.
• Plans for achieving the MRCF program objectives
  • Includes Carleton-led external funding applications, increase in research productivity, impact on society, potential economic development and communications and outreach strategy.

Contact Us

Christine Rivas

• Assistant Director, Research Services