REALISE Seed Grant (CLOSED)

In the spirit of the Research Alliance Series (REALISE), which supports interfaculty collaboration in both emerging and existing areas of expertise within Carleton, the 2023 REALISE Seed Grant is an open call for all disciplines and subject areas.

The Office of the Vice-President (Research, Innovation and International) (OVPRII) will provide support, on request, to teams to develop their applications, identify potential team members and review collaboration plans and budgets. 

Value and Duration

The pilot of this internal funding program will support approximately eight seed grants, with a maximum value of $12,000 each to help jump-start a new collaboration, a new multidisciplinary team or incentivize the early stages of a multidisciplinary research project. Funding is meant to cover collaboration and communication costs and/or preliminary research costs for a one-year term. While proposals should be for one year in duration, all seed grants will come with an automatic one-year, no-cost extension.

Deadline

Application deadline: September 29, 2023 by 4:30 p.m.

Eligibility

To be eligible, projects must:

• Be co-directed by two full-time faculty members of professorial rank (Assistant, Associate or Full) from two different Faculties at Carleton.
• Include a team comprised of a minimum of three eligible team members (faculty members of professorial rank, Adjunct Research Professors).
  • This minimum of three includes the two co-directors.
  • At least one team member must be an early-career researcher (six years from date of first tenure-track job, but can be extended due to career interruptions or special circumstances).
  • At least half (50%) of the team members must be new to collaborating with each other. For teams with an odd number of members, this 50% criteria is rounded down.

Assessment Criteria

Applications that are eligible will be assessed according to the following criteria: 

• Alignment with Carleton’s Strategic Integrated Plan;
• Potential for collaborations, external funding proposals, shared research activities, and outputs such as joint publications within 2 years;
• Feasible budget; and
• Demonstration of interdisciplinarity/multidisciplinarity.

Application

Complete applications must include the following information:  

• Co-directors’ information and link to webpage or bio;
• Carleton team information;
• Lay summary (150 words);
• Collaboration plan, including description of how your team will expand the collaboration, generate external funding proposals and shared research activities (500 words);
• Anticipated outputs in year one and, if relevant, the automatic extension year; and
• Budget outline with rationale.

Eligible Expenses

This seed funding is meant to support the early developmental stages of a project. It is intended to fund one year of activities, though outputs might trickle into year two. Therefore, eligible expenses can vary based on the project or team needs, but could include:

• Expenses related to convening seminars, meetings or workshops, including travel;
• Communications costs;
• Developing research materials, such as conducting surveys, literature reviews or creating a database;
• Conducting preliminary research activities; 
• Research support staff (e.g., students, researchers, grant writers, web developers); and
• Expenses associated with the development of external funding proposals.

All expenses must be eligible with the Carleton University Research Expenses Guidelines.

Funds cannot be transferred to other institutions. 

How to Apply

1. Download and complete the REALISE Seed Grant application form.
2. Email your completed application form to the Carleton Office for Research Initiatives and Services (CORIS) (subject line: REALISE Application) no later than 4:30 p.m. on September 29, 2023.

REALISE Seed Grant (Pilot) Application Form

Note: Applicants who are awarded funding under the REALISE Seed Grant will need to complete a cuResearch Approval Form prior to the release of funds.

Reporting

Submit a one-page report and brief presentation to OVPRII/CORIS at the end of the 12-month grant period that details the collaboration and outcomes, as well as relevant next steps. Teams that fail to submit this report will not be eligible for future internal funding from OVPRII until the report is received. 

Frequently Asked Questions

REALISE Seed Grant Pilot

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Caroline Flocari

• Project Officer, Strategic Initiatives