CDCC-2014-15
CONNAUGHT CROSS-DIVISIONAL/CROSS-CULTURAL SEMINAR GUIDELINES
Competition Deadline: October 1, 2014
"The primary purpose of the Fund is the promotion of research and the application of the
professional expertise and resources of the University to matters of public interest in all research
fields. ...Connaught funds shall be used to support outstanding research by individuals or groups of
scholars in the University. Grants are intended to encourage research of exceptional calibre or the
development of new areas of research by scholars of outstanding achievement. Awards will be
made in accordance with the most exacting standards of peer review."
Excerpt from the Connaught Fund Terms of Reference
Purpose:
The purpose of this program is to interconnect fields of research in comparative historical and
cultural sources in order to explore diverse societies. The seminars will draw on the wideranging expertise of the University of Toronto’s faculty and the rich cosmopolitan nature of the
city of Toronto.
A seminar model allows Canadian and international visitors to work with a core group of
University of Toronto faculty and graduate students over a year. The core group must come from
multiple divisions and draw upon diverse methods, disciplines, and perspectives in order to
create and develop new approaches to cross-cultural topics and fields.
The desired benefits include: 1) advancing research in the specific field, 2) building or
strengthening research connections across the university, and 3) enhancing the University of
Toronto’s reputation in the field through the engagement with the visitors. Specific outcomes
may include a seminar volume, new digital resources, journal articles, public lectures, etc.
The program therefore does not support proposals that build mainly upon a typical conference,
nor one that replicates a current graduate or postdoctoral seminar. Instead, each seminar must
justify its unique approach and participants—reaching outside established centres, programmes,
and units. Visitors are key to the seminar, and must be identified and justified as suiting the
proposal. Total budget for a seminar should not exceed $150,000 over a period of two years.
The structure of a Seminar is expected to include:
 Tenured or tenure-stream faculty at the U of T recruited across Departments and Faculties by
the Project Leader(s)
 Two Graduate Students, selected from U of T to be named Connaught Seminar Fellows and
awarded modest stipends
 One Postdoctoral Fellow (recruited from outside the U of T) to be appointed for two years,
the first to help plan the seminar; the second to help lead it.
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A group (from as few as two to several) visitors who will each participate in some of the
seminar meetings.
Meetings at least bi-weekly during the year of the seminar.
Eligibility:
Eligible applicants include full-time tenured and tenure-stream faculty at the University. CLTAs
and other non-tenure stream faculty are not eligible. Final determination of eligibility will be made
upon receipt of an application.
Application:
Applications are to be made using the form available on the website and attached to the MRA (My
Research Applications) in PDF format as one file using the naming convention:
LastFirst_CDCC_2014.
In light of the program objective, it is expected that a successful Connaught Seminar will include
faculty from multiple divisions, and while Humanities and Social Science may often take the lead,
other sectors are encouraged to participate and also to lead seminars. A project team that is limited
to single divison may not be funded.
Adjudication:
It is anticipated that one award will be made in in 2014-15. Submissions will be adjudicated by an
Interdisciplinary Review Panel convened by the Connaught Committee. Given the breadth of
research activity presented to the Panel, submissions should be written with a non-specialist
audience in mind. Applications will be judged solely on the basis of the information supplied in
the submission, no supplemental information is permitted.
Award recommendations are formulated by the Panel for the Connaught Committee. The
Connaught Committee makes final decisions on all Connaught awards.
Evaluation Criteria:
Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:
 Anticipated significance or impact on the relevant area(s) of research
 Quality of the proposed Seminar
 Benefits to the University and the greater public
 The project team’s record of research achievements
 Appropriateness of the budget including the budget justification
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Eligible Costs:
Eligible expenses are to be consistent with the appropriate tri-agency guidelines for NSERC
Discovery grants, CIHR Open Operating Grants or SSHRC Insight grants. Ineligible expenses
include, but are not limited to, proposal development, stipends to U of T faculty members, purchase
of books and re-design of a curriculum. In cases where honoraria or similar payments in nature are
included in the budget, the review panel expects to see a justification explaining the need and
whether the payment amount aligns with normal practice in the research area.
Questions:
Inquiries regarding this program should be addressed to connaught.secretariat@utoronto.ca
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