UBC creates Research Fund in name of honorary SCWIST member Dr. Martha Piper

Martha Piper Research Fund

At his installation, UBC President Stephen Toope announced the establishment of the Martha Piper Research Fund to provide seed funding for collaborative research projects with an emphasis on interdisciplinary international activities. A $5M portion of the Trek Endowment has been dedicated for this purpose for five years which will provide $250,000 per year to be awarded in semi-annual competitions to UBC faculty. The objective of this program is to strengthen UBC research by supporting the creation of teams of talented researchers in two or more disciplines, as well as to establish new international links. Awards should enable researchers in the NSERC, CIHR and SSHRC communities to collaborate and integrate their expertise and research activities within Canada and/or with international partners.

Guidelines and Conditions

• Teams of two or more individuals may apply; one applicant must be identified as the Principal Investigator for purposes of administrating the grant if awarded.
• Applications are expected to be interdisciplinary in approach. For instance, teams containing members holding funding from more than one of the tri-council sources would be appropriate. International links are encouraged.
• Teams may hold only one Fund award in the first five years of the program.
• Applications must request between $8K and $25K
• Term: 18 months maximum
• Output: the major goal of the program is to develop new research areas and build interdisciplinary capability that will lead to the award of major funding such as a tri-council award or possibly a Peter Wall Institute Major Thematic Grant for ongoing aspects of the project.
• The project cannot overlap significantly with projects funded from other sources. In particular, awards may not be held from the Hampton and Martha Piper Research Funds at the same time.
• Application forms will be available shortly but the proposal narrative should not exceed 3 pages and should include a (maximum half-page) project summary and key references. In addition a budget and a summary of research funding held over the last five years or applied for at the date of application will need to be included as well as an up-to-date c.v. of 5-7 pages in a tri-council format.
• Reporting: At the completion of the term of the award a final report of up to 5 pages must be submitted. A submitted tri-council or similar external grant application or, if appropriate, a Letter of Intent to the Peter Wall Institute for a Major Thematic Grant based on the work performed with support from the Martha Piper Research Fund may be substituted for the Final Report.

DEADLINES FOR APPLICATIONS ARE APRIL 15 AND OCTOBER 1 ANNUALLY FROM APRIL 2007 THROUGH OCTOBER 2011. Applications for the April 15, 2007 competition should be sent electronically to the .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Results will be announced no later than May 15, 2007. Expenses incurred in the period April 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008 will be eligible to be charged against the Fund.