Innovation Circle - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto Metropolitan University faculty-student teams who meet the following criteria:

• Faculty members must be tenure or tenure-track RFA professors.
• Faculty members must have their primary research affiliation with Toronto Metropolitan University.
• Students must be a registered graduate student at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Research themes must respond to the annual call for proposals. Please see current Call for Proposals.

Research themes must respond to the research themes specified in the current Call for Proposals.

Applications open in the fall, and are due early winter. Please see Events and Key Dates.

Applicants must include a budget, a description of the proposed research and expected outcomes, and CVs outlining the team members’ experience. The application also contains sections to be completed by the faculty lead and the graduate student. The word fileapplication form, opens in new window is accessible online.

A minimum of 50% of the grant must support graduate student stipends and/or support student salaries related to the research project. Funds are not intended to supplement faculty salaries. Funds must directly support the cost of research and graduate students. The case must be made within your application for major purchases of equipment or materials to support the project. No sub-grants allowed. Eligible expenses will follow Tri-Council Funding Guidelines, external link, opens in new window.

Examples of eligible expenses include:

• Graduate student/research assistant stipends.
• Technical services such as computer services.
• Purchase or rental of software and equipment not available through Toronto Metropolitan University.
• Disposable supplies such as stationary, postage, long distance charges.
• Travel related to data collection.

Note: research activities that involve humans or animals undertaken by Toronto Metropolitan University researchers, regardless of location, will be expected to adhere to Toronto Metropolitan University’s Policy and Ethics Review of Research Involving Humans or Animals.

Applications meeting the eligibility criteria (please refer to the first question) will be considered by a review committee composed of selected faculty and staff of the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. Review committee members may not apply for the Innovation Circle grant themselves during their tenure on the committee.

The review committee will identify five or six finalist teams who will pitch their projects to a selection committee composed of external experts and Innovation Circle members. Please see Events & Key Dates for the date of the adjudication session.

Applicants will be evaluated on the following:

Innovation

• Potential for the creation of new knowledge
• Originality of the proposed research, in terms of the research questions addressed, novel methodology and/or novel applications of current methodology

Research approach

• Clarity, feasibility and appropriateness of the research approach and methodology
• Strength of plan for the use of Innovation Circle funds

Impact of the research

• Research addresses a significant need or gap in the thematic area
• Potential of the research to solve or significantly change a current issue in the thematic area

Yes. All finalist teams must be available to attend the adjudication session. Finalists pitch their project to a selection committee, who will decide on the recipient of the Prize. Please see Events & Key Dates for the date of the adjudication session.

Faculty-student grant recipient teams are required to:

• Six months into the project, submit a midterm report to the OVPRI project team.
• One year into the project, submit a short report to the OVPRI project team, to be posted on the Innovation Circle website.  All grant recipients will be asked to present an overview of their research outcomes in a community forum.
• Return any unused funds to the OVPRI project team following after the one-year mark
• Throughout the duration of the research project, inform the OVPRI project team of any conferences, materials or publications resulting from research project findings.
• Grant recipients must acknowledge the Innovation Circle in the dissemination of research results.

If you have any questions regarding the Proposal Form, please contact:

Dr. Lisa Leung
Applied Research & Innovation Advisor
Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation
416-979-5000, ext. 3283
lisa.leung@torontomu.ca