Wall Research Awards (Faculty)

Program Link: https://walllegacyawards.ubc.ca/wall-research-awards-faculty/

Sponsor: Peter Wall Legacy Fund

Value:

  • Team awards of up to $200,000, awarded to a group of 3-5 Principal Investigators over a maximum term of up to three years
  • Individual awards of up to $80,000 over a maximum term of three years.

Description: Wall Research Awards for tenure-track faculty members are available as individual and group awards.

The Wall Research Awards focus on enabling good future work, rather than as rewards for past work, and are intended to support a range of scholars at different career stages. Projects supported by these awards may be exploratory or derived from established programs of inquiry.

Wall Legacy Fund areas of interest

The Wall Research Awards (Faculty) are awarded to UBC faculty whose research relates to one of three areas:

  • Sustainable approaches to and development of the general urban environment, including water, energy and transportation infrastructure in British Columbia;
  • Environmental protection of oceans, beaches and waterfronts that impact British Columbia; and
  • Sustainable approaches to resource-intensive industry in British Columbia.

Projects within these areas of interest will principally relate to British Columbia, but may also apply to and address other Canadian and international regions.

ELIGIBILITY 

All UBC tenured and tenure-track faculty, from both campuses, are eligible to apply. For Wall Research Awards (Team Faculty Awards), all co-PIs must be tenured / tenure-track UBC faculty. Individuals are eligible to apply to hold a maximum of two concurrent Wall Research Awards and be the primary applicant on only one. (i.e. the lead applicant of an individual award and a co-applicant on a team award; a lead applicant on one team award and a co-applicant on another team award; or a co-applicant on two team awards.)

Team Faculty Awards must include 3-5 UBC faculty (i.e., one primary applicant and 2 to 4 co-applicants). Junior and mid-career faculty are strongly encouraged to apply. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including the social sciences and humanities, are encouraged to apply.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply for a Wall Research Award, starting May 27, 2024, applicants must log in to VPRI’s online application system UBC Research + Innovation Apply using their campus wide login (CWL), and follow the instructions provided. Once the full application has been initiated, the applicant may invite others with a CWL to contribute (e.g., co-applicants, administrators, grant facilitators, etc.) using the “add collaborator” button located in the left side block. For team awards, one applicant must be designated as the primary applicant. Applications can be saved and completed at a later date before final submission and can be downloaded as a PDF at any time. Each section must be marked as complete before the application can be submitted.

Applications should include the following components:

  • Notice of Intent (NOI) due June 29, 2024
    (An NOI is required to provide time for eligibility review and enable the recruitment of reviewers. It is not adjudicated, but is required in order to submit a full application.)
  • Applicant Information
  • Research Proposal (3 pages)
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) (200 words)
  • Additional Criteria; applicants must choose 3 of the 5 criteria below to address (200 words each)
    • Interdisciplinarity
    • Multi-sectoral research
    • Geographic reach
    • Indigenous engagement
    • Catalysis of research
  • Role of team members (for Team awards only) (300 words)
  • Budget and budget justification

A completed and signed Research Project Information Form (RPIF) must be uploaded as part of the application.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

To be eligible for peer review, the proposed research must:

The following assessment criteria will be used:

Research Proposal (60%) 

  • The proposed research program is clearly outlined, providing a distinct purpose and clear attainable objectives
  • The main methods used are relevant and well-defined
  • Includes a clear plan on how the research program will involve trainees, and benefit their training and career advancement
  • The relevant expertise needed to do this work is present, or there is a feasible plan in place for its recruitment
  • A plan on how the outputs of the work will be disseminated to both academics, and other stakeholders is described

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (10%) 

  • The application illustrates how the research is informed by or will contribute to the promotion of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in academia and society

Additional Criteria (choose three of the five criteria to addressed): 

The Wall Research Awards recognize that high-quality research comes in various forms. Thus, applicants must choose three of the five additional criteria below that best align with and showcases their work.

Interdisciplinarity (10%) 

  • The application describes what the “added value” of the interdisciplinary approach is
  • The perspectives of all relevant disciplines have been considered in the development of the proposed project, and the required expertise is available

Multi-sectoral research (10%) 

  • The proposed research demonstrates strong synergy among participants from different sectors
  • The combination of participants is justified and makes it likely that planned outcomes will be achieved

Geographic reach (10%) 

  • Potential impact in jurisdictions beyond BC is described
  • Lessons for, or impact on, other jurisdictions is described

Indigenous engagement (10%) 

  • Engagement and reciprocity with First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Peoples is present and clearly described
  • Considerations addressing Indigenous research have been incorporated into the methodological approach and or theoretical framework of the project

Research catalysis (10%) 

  • The impact on long term research plans is clearly described
  • The benefit of proposed high-risk work on longer-term research is outlined

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

REPORTING

Recipients are required to submit a final report to the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation no later than six (6) months following the end of the award term that includes the following:

  • standard financial reporting
  • brief summaries describing the following:
    • trainees involved in the research
    • the work conducted during the term of the award
    • how the work has been disseminated
    • how the work supported EDI
    • statements addressing performance against each of the 3 applicant-selected criteria from the original proposal

A report template will be provided to recipients.

PUBLICITY

Recipients of Wall Research Awards may be asked to participate in media events and other proceedings that recognize their achievement and bring awareness to the Wall Legacy Fund at UBC.

TIMELINE

May 27, 2024 Applications open
June 4, 2024  2:00-3:30 pm PT Wall Research Award information session (Optional)
June 6, 2024  10:00-11:30 am PT Wall Research Award information session (Optional)
June 29, 2024  11:59 pm PT Notice of intent (NOI) due
September 20, 2024  11:59 pm PT Full application due
Early November 2024 Wall Research Award recipients announced
December 1, 2024  Funds distributed 

 

Contact:

Leslie Grad, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, VPRI,  leslie.grad@ubc.ca;

Robert Olaj, Director, Research Development, Faculty of Education, robert.olaj@ubc.ca

Back to top