ARCHIVED - The Role of Canadian Federal Research Funding Agencies in the Promotion of Official Languages

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Page 1 of 9

January 2008

Table of Contents

Summary

1. Introduction

1.1 Legislative background
1.2 Objectives of the study
1.3 Methodology

1.3.1 The researchers
1.3.2 The federal research funding agencies
1.3.3 Document analysis
1.3.4 Discussion forum

1.4 Considerations

2. Official language minority community researchers: Perceived barriers

2.1 Issues studied
2.2 Knowledge and experience
2.3 Barriers as perceived by researchers

2.3.1 Awareness of the available funding
2.3.2 Language of publication
2.3.3 Language skills of peer review committees
2.3.4 Lack of priority given to official languages issues
2.3.5 Lack of institutional support
2.3.6 Lack of consideration for the particular circumstances of researchers in official language minority community settings
2.3.7 Physical and intellectual isolation
2.3.8 Complexity and variability of application procedures
2.3.9 Bias toward large majority-language universities

2.4 State of research relevant to official languages issues

3. Federal research funding departments and agencies: Practices and processes

3.1 Key players
3.2 Federal research funding departments and agencies

3.2.1 The main research funding agencies
3.2.2 Federal departments and agencies
3.2.3 Other research programs

3.3 Research communities
3.4 Official language minority community post-secondary institutions

3.4.1 Institutions associated with official language minority communities
3.4.2 Research funding received by institutions in official language minority communities
3.4.3 Research chairs received by institutions in official language minority communities

3.5 Agency processes

3.5.1 A strong focus on excellence
3.5.2. Research priority setting by governing bodies
3.5.3 Application processes for research funding
3.5.4 Peer review processes for evaluating applications
3.5.5 Ability of peer review committees to evaluate applications in both official languages

3.6 Promotion of research funding to official language minority communities
3.7 Programs aimed at small institutions
3.8 Programs promoting research in official language minority communities or on official languages issues

3.8.1 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
3.8.2 Department of Canadian Heritage
3.8.3 Canada Research Chairs

4. Best practices and recommendations

4.1 Actively promote and inform researchers about available funding
4.2 Develop the capacity of federal research funding agencies to serve researchers in their own official language
4.3 Establish research funding strategies that target small institutions
4.4 Streamline funding administrative processes
4.5 Establish programs that target research on official languages issues
4.6 Engage the institutions

5. Conclusion

5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Recommendations

6. Bibliography

Tables and Examples

Tables

Table 1 – Higher education institutions from which researchers were selected
Table 2 – Research funding agencies identified by researchers
Table 3 – Federal government funding sources identified by researchers
Table 4 – Summary of perceived barriers by researchers
Table 5 – Federal government payments to the higher education sector for science and technology, by department or agency, 1996–1997 to 2005–2006
Table 6 – Approximate size of communities supported by federal research funding agencies (2005)
Table 7 – Federal research funding to official language minority institutions – 2004–2005
Table 8 – Number of research chairs granted to official language minority institutions between 2000 and 2005
Table 9 – SSHRC funding under the Official Languages Research and Dissemination Program 2004–2005 to 2006–2007
Table 10 – Summary of best practices identified by federal research funding agencies

Examples

Example 1 – Mechanisms used by NSERC to ensure the bilingual capacity of peer review committee members
Example 2 – Mechanisms used by CFI to customize their programs to the needs of the smaller institutions
Example 3 – CIHR’s implementation of an initiative to deliver health services to OLMCs
Example 4 – Industry Canada’s funding support to OLMCs to better understand their situation
Example 5 – The Official Languages Research and Dissemination Program developed by SSHRC and Canadian Heritage