Fellowships Award Guide

Overview

Eligibility
Selection Criteria
Funds
Publications
Applications

Eligibility

Research Grants

The funding administered by the Killick Centre will be dispersed to projects according to priorities as determined by the Killick Centre's Research Advisory Committee. Funds for all projects must be applied for (see Application Form for Research Grants). The Principal Investigator for any of the Centre's Research Grants will normally be a co-investigator who is employed as an academic at Memorial University, with dedicated time for research (co-investigators may be added or deleted during the life of the project). The Principal Investigator for each research grant is the person who will take primary responsibility for the intellectual direction of the research and assume administrative responsibility for the funds.

Researchers employed with the partners or with Memorial University may be 'Co-Investigator' (persons playing a substantial role in the project's design and execution) but not normally Principal Investigators. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Fellowships

Applicants for Graduate Fellowships must be registered, or applying for registration, as a full-time Master's or Doctoral student at Memorial University. In the first year, only students who are already accepted as graduate students at Memorial University will be considered, as the deadline for admission was passed before the project was awarded.
Applicants must have an average of at least 75% or equivalent in their previous and/or current academic program.

Note: Recipients of Fellowships may not also hold a faculty position.

Ethics

All studies which involve human subjects must follow the Tri-Council Guidelines and be approved by the appropriate Ethics Review Committee(s). Following normal requirements by the Office of Research, proof of approval must either accompany the application or be submitted prior to the commencement of funding.

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Selection Criteria

Research Grants

All applications for Research Grants will be reviewed by a review panel selected by the Principal Investigator / Director of the Killick Centre, with input from external reviewers, as needed. Applications for Research Grants will be judged according to the following selection criteria:

1. Relevance of the proposed research to the Project's goals and objectives.

Preference will be given to applications relevant to the Priority Research Themes.

2. Academic record and potential of the researchers, based on:

Expertise and research experience
Past contributions to e-learning research

3. Merit of the proposal, based on:

Originality
Potential contribution to e-learning knowledge and practice
Clarity of presentation and appropriateness of design and research plan
Feasibility of the proposed work
Appropriateness and justification of the budget

Fellowships

Applications for Fellowships will be judged according to the following criteria:

1. Relevance of the proposed research to the Project's priorities.

2. Academic record and potential of the candidate, based on: * Academic qualifications and performance * Potential as a researcher in the e-learning research projects

3. Merit of the proposal, based on: * Quality of the proposed project * Potential contribution to e-learning research

4. Suitability of the research environment for the proposed research, including the appropriateness of supervisor, and in the case of doctoral students, the consent of the doctoral committee. Ideally, the thesis or dissertation will be directly linked to the Project's research priorities.

Review of Fellowship Applications

All applications will be reviewed by the Killick Centre Executive, with input from co-investigators and external reviewers as needed. All applicants for Research Grants will receive a summary of reviewer's comments. Following approval, successful applicants will be sent official notification informing them of the type and amount of grant or award. A copy of the notification will be sent to the administrative officer of their institution. Unsuccessful applicants will also be advised immediately following the decision.

Notification and Acceptance of Fellowships

Upon receiving a letter of offer, recipients must notify The Killick Centre in writing of their intention to accept or decline the grant or award. Recipients must indicate the date on which they plan to begin their projects. The start date will determine when funding will commence and end, and when reports are due.

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Funds

Administration

The Killick Centre Research Grants are to be administered by the Project Coordinator and through the Financial and Administrative unit within the Education Faculty. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator for each project to see that funds awarded for specific projects are utilized according to the Project's guidelines and the terms of the Research Grant. Major changes in a project design and major departures from the budget will require the prior approval of the Project. Except in special circumstances, Killick Centre Research Grants provide funding for a maximum of 14 months from the date on which the award is announced. Grants may be renewed, depending on the Project's priorities. Any grant recipient who does not deliver his/her final report by the end of the allotted time may be excluded from future competitions.

The Killick Centre Fellowships are payable to the administrative or accounting office at the Education Faculty. Payments are made in regular installments, with payments commencing in the month of the starting date of the award.

The Killick Centre will not provide additional funds for the administration of accounts.

Excluded Expenditures

Research Grant funds may not be used for the following:

Expenditures considered as overhead, including space renovation or construction, purchase of laboratory furniture or other permanent equipment normally supplied by the institution
Defraying costs for entertainment or hospitality
Paying fringe benefits of research trainees
Paying academic fees for research trainees

Allowable Expenditures

Research Grants may be used for the following:

Payment for clerical/secretarial support, research assistants and/or consultants necessary to the project
General office expenses and supplies necessary to carry out the research
Compensation for reasonable expenses incurred by research subjects to participate in research
Technical advice of an unusually complex nature and/or requiring a considerable time commitment that goes beyond what could be expected in a collegial relationship
Field travel for research purposes, at standard expense rates allowed at the Memorial University
Cost of printing, photocopying, postage, telephone and fax services, computing services and supplies
Costs of obtaining copyright releases and payments under copyright agreements

Unspent Funds

The unspent balance of a grant at the close of the grant period can remain to the credit of the grantee for an additional six-month grace period, provided it is used for the purpose for which the grant was made. Funds not spent or encumbered at the conclusion of the grace period will automatically revert to the Project.

Transferring Funds

Research Grants are awarded in support of research at Memorial University and in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

If the recipient of a Research Grant moves to another eligible institution in the province, he/she may seek to transfer the grant. The grantee should include a letter stating the project title, an estimate of the remaining grant funds available at the current institution and the effective date of transfer. The principal grantee must notify any co-grantees to make their own arrangements regarding the allocation of funds. Upon receipt of a final statement of expenditures from the business office of the institution to which the Research Grant was originally made, arrangements will be made to transfer the remaining balance of the grant.

If the recipient of a Research Grant moves to an ineligible institution, or out of the province, the grant will normally be terminated and the remaining funds returned to Project. However, permission may be granted by the Project in exceptional circumstances.

Fellowships are awarded in support of individuals at a specified institution, normally in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Fellowships are non-transferable.

Funding from Other Sources

Investigators who already hold, have applied for, or intend to apply for, a grant for the same or other projects from any other agency, must clearly describe the degree to which the applications overlap. The Project reserves the right to take appropriate steps to eliminate any overlap with funds obtained from other funding sources.

Employment under Grants

Normally, only research assistants may receive a salary from grant funds. The rates of pay shall be in accordance with the salary scale of Memorial University.

Equipment

Equipment purchased through a Project grant is vested in the name of Memorial University and will remain the property of the Killick Centre.

Additional Commitments

Any financial commitments incurred by a grantee in excess of the grant funds are not the responsibility of the Project.

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Publications

All publications or scholarly communications arising out of research supported by the Project must acknowledge this assistance. The Killick Centre expects funded investigators to disseminate their research findings through peer-reviewed publication in quality journals and other media so that their work will have the maximum impact and utility. They are also expected to participate in dissemination to members of the alliance. It is expected that the support of the Killick Centre will be acknowledged in all such publications and presentations.

Reporting and Renewal of Fellowships

Fellowship holders are required to submit regular progress reports and final reports from their academic supervisor(s) on their studies and research. Continued funding is contingent on the timely submission of satisfactory reports.

Guidelines for Research Reports

Every recipient of a research grant or fellowship from the Project is expected to submit at regular intervals (see below) a summary of research results for dissemination to Alliance stakeholders. Reports allow the Project to make research results available to those who can use them, and bring researchers with similar interests together for future collaboration. Successful recipients of funding who accept the award will be agreeing to give the Project permission to use report documents as required. Reports may be used for many purposes and in a variety of ways. Here are some examples of where and how they may be used: On the Killick Centre web site, in newsletters and electronic bulletins, in media releases, and in Killick Centre annual reports. Please contact The Killick Centre to discuss concerns about the impact of use of reports on future publishing. The reporting requirements for each award are listed below:

Please note: All reports are due within one month of completion of tenure of the award, in electronic and paper format.

Type of Grant/Fellowship	Reporting Requirements
Project Grant	At the end of each academic semester, a three-page summary of the research activities and results; at the end of each year, an annual report (maximum of 6 pages) A comprehensive report at the end of the project Copy of all publications and reports One-paragraph abstract (academic style) One-paragraph abstract in plain language
Master's and Doctoral Fellowships	At end of each semester, a one-page report on activities undertaken during the tenure of the fellowship, co-signed by graduate supervisor An annual report of progress from graduate supervisor A copy of the thesis or research paper One-paragraph abstract of thesis (academic) One-paragraph abstract of thesis in plain language

Use and Disclosure of Information Provided to the Killick Centre

As part of the peer-review process, applications will be disclosed to review panels composed of experts in the areas of research. Applications may also be transmitted to external referees. All participants in these review activities are informed of their obligations with regard to the confidentiality of information entrusted to them.

The external reviews and review panel comments about a research proposal will be provided only to the Principal Investigator. The Killick Centre expects the Principal Investigator to share this information with co-applicants.

The Killick Centre may publish certain details about successful grant applications, including the name of the applicant, amount awarded, title of the project and a summary of the research proposal. For Fellowships, the name, the field of research and the project title will be made public.

Files and databases including personal information about applicants may also be used by the Killick Centre for internal planning and program evaluation. Those funded by the CURA funding should expect to be interviewed midway through the CURA project (around September 2008) regarding the success of the CURA Project.

Deadline Policy

All deadlines signify receipt at the Project, not postmarking. To count as having been received on a given date, a document must arrive at the Project's office no later than 4:30 p.m. (Newfoundland Time). Applications that arrive at the Killick Centre office after the deadline will not be considered. Documents may not be submitted by fax or by electronic mail.

Application Deadlines

The deadline for application this year, including all supplementary information, are as follows:

Program	Application due dates	Awards Announcement
Research Grants Project Grants	June 30, 2009
Fellowships Master's	June 30, 2009
Fellowships Doctorate	June 30, 2009

Note: For every deadline, all required documents must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. (NL time) on the specified date.

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Application Forms

Printable versions of the application forms for Research Grants and Fellowships are available below. If you would like a hard copy of the application forms, please contact The Killick Centre office at

Mailing Address:

The Killick Centre
G.A. Hickman Building
Memorial University
St. John's, NL
A1B 3X8

Printable application forms:

Research Grants:

Research Grant

Fellowships

To complete an application for either the Master's or Doctoral Fellowship please download the appropriate document below and email them to Killick@mun.ca. Please include the type of fellowship being applied for in the subject line.

Contact Information

The Killick Centre
G.A.Hickman Building
Faculty of Education
St. John's, NL
A1B 3X8

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