Faculty Mobility Program

Competition: Closed for the 2019-2020 academic year

Who applies: Canadian postsecondary institutions

Description: The ELAP Faculty Mobility Program provides Canadian faculty with short-term opportunities to teach or conduct research in Latin America and the Caribbean, at the college, undergraduate and graduate levels.

Guidelines

The Faculty Mobility Program aims to increase the number of institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements between Canadian and foreign institutions eligible under the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP). These agreements are created between colleges, technical or vocational institutions and universities in Canada, Latin Americas and the Caribbean.

The Program will award grants to teach or conduct research for a short-term in countries eligible to ELAP (CARICOM countries, Central America, Latin America, Mexico).

Grant value and duration

Funding for ELAP grants is made available by Global Affairs Canada through its legal title: the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD).

The Canadian institution will receive funding from DFATD for all successful candidates in the form of a grant and will be responsible for providing the funds to grant recipients.

The maximum grant value per faculty is CAD 7,000. Recipients may seek additional funding from other sources (private or public).

The duration of the grant is for three (3) weeks minimum and eight (8) maximum (participant can stay longer with funds from other sources)

All funds provided by DFATD related to the project must be spent by March 31, 2020 (the termination date of the project can go beyond March 31, 2020).

Eligible expenses

Canadian institutions will disburse grant funds to the recipient to contribute to the following costs:

  • Transportation (economy fare, by the most direct route);
  • Lodging, meals, incidentals (according to Treasury Board guidelines);
  • Insurance costs; and
  • Expenditures related to securing visas or work permits.

Buying equipment (computer, tablet, phone, printer, etc.) is not an eligible expenditure.

Public servants (federal, provincial/territorial, municipal, or Crown corporations) are not eligible.

Payment procedure

Method of payment

Subject to the terms and conditions of the grant agreement, funding will be disbursed by a cheque or electronic transfer issued to the Canadian institution upon receiving the grant agreement signed by both the designated authority at the Canadian institution and the designated authority at DFATD. The proposal and the budget will be part of the grant agreement.

Funds will be disbursed to the grant recipients according to the Canadian institution’s internal processes and in conformity with the Grant Agreement concluded between DFATD and the Canadian institution.

Eligibility

To following conditions must be met to be eligible for an ELAP Faculty Mobility Program’s grant:

  • Canadian post-secondary institutions must be recognized by their provincial/territorial authorities;
  • Recipients must be full-time faculty from Canadian institutions (Part-time professors and lecturers are not eligible);
  • Host institutions must be at the collegial level and above and be recognized the local authorities; and
  • Host institution will have to provide an invitation letter stipulating that they support the project and that the course(s) will effectively be scheduled.

Grant recipients must teach or conduct research in the following eligible ELAP countries:

  • Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos;
  • Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama;
  • North America: Mexico; or
  • South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Any questions?

Please direct all inquiries regarding the Faculty Mobility Program to: MobilityProposals-PropositionsMobilite@international.gc.ca.

Deadline for Canadian institutions

The deadline for Canadian institutions to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. EDT, February 19, 2019.

It is the responsibility of the Canadian institution to ensure that the proposals are received by the deadline. Documents, other than those requested, will not be accepted.

Notification

Applications will be reviewed within 30 days of the deadline for proposals. Selected projects will be notified within 45 days of the deadline for proposals.

Application process

The Canadian postsecondary institution must apply on behalf of the candidate(s) by submitting proposals containing the following elements:

  1. a detailed description of the project;
  2. expected results;
  3. performance indicators; and
  4. the name of the existing contact(s) abroad.

Proposal should stay a close as possible to the Faculty Mobility Program’s proposal template.

Supporting documents

The following supporting documents must be attached to the proposal:

  • A curriculum vitae of the participant
  • A detailed budget
    • budget must indicate, for each item, the timeline of expenditures
    • budget must also include non-eligible expenditures if appropriate
  • Letter of invitation from the host institution

Should there be funds from other sources, the budget will have to indicate, for each item, the proportion that is expected to be covered by the grant provided by Global Affairs Canada.

A narrative report will have to be produced within 30 days of the termination of the project.

Proposals and supporting documents can be sent either by e-mail at MobilityProposals-PropositionsMobilite@international.gc.ca, or by regular mail at:

Global Affairs Canada
International Education Division (BBY)
c/o Scholarships Unit
111 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G2

Selection process

The following guidelines are followed for the review, assessment and selection of applications:

  • All proposals received by the deadline will be pre-screened to ensure they meet eligibility requirements established for the Program.
  • Eligible and complete applications, including the supporting documents, will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
    • quality and feasibility of the project;
    • quality and precision of the budget;
    • qualifications of the participant; and
    • probability that the project leads to the signature of partnership with the foreign institution.

Read the Selection committee’s feedback for the 2018-2019 competition.

Only applications submitted directly by Canadian institutions will be considered.

Faculty Mobility Program scholarships are subject to the availability of funding from the Government of Canada.

Frequently asked questions about the Faculty Mobility Program

1. Is there a template to follow for a project proposal?

Yes, your proposal should stay a close as possible to the Faculty Mobility Program’s proposal template.

2. How long should the project proposal be?

Maximum of 30 pages per proposal, including the team leader’s résumé. No need to include the team leader’s full résumé.

3. How many project proposals can an institution submit?

There is no maximum number of projects an institution can submit. An institution may receive funding for more than one project.

4. For institutions proposing multiple projects, is it best to submit in bulk or one email per project?

Institutions can submit projects in bulk or individually. When submitting in bulk, please ensure the file size does not exceed 20MB and that each project is clearly identified.

5. Can a project be submitted directly by a professors?

No, only Canadian post-secondary institution recognized by their provincial/territorial authorities can apply.

6. The requirements state that "expected results" and "performance indicators" need to be clearly outlined. What are these?

The expected results are what will be accomplished by the project. Performance indicators are concrete measures to assess if results are met.

7. Can one project have two faculty participating?

Multiple participants are allowed per project as long as they all comply with the program’s guidelines.

8. Is funding awarded per person or project?

Funding is awarded per project. The maximum allowable per project remains the same no matter the number of participants.

9. Is the program funding only for creating new partnerships or can it be used to strengthen existing partnerships?

The aim of the program is to enhance the number of partnerships between Canadian and foreign institutions. However, projects involving existing partnerships will be considered eligible as long as a value-added is demonstrated.

10. Will applicants be adjudicated as they are submitted or will all proposals be reviewed after the deadline?

All applications will be reviewed within 30 days after the competition closes. Institutions with successful projects will be notified within 45 days after the closing date.

11. Will notification be given for every proposal?

Only successful projects will be notified of the next steps, through their institutions, within 30 days after the competition closes.

12. How will projects be assessed?

The selection committee will first assess the quality and feasibility of the project, partnership creation or valued added to an existing partnership, and compliance with the objectives and program guidelines.

13. Will there be another competition for this program?

We intend to have an annual competition which would be launched in December or January for projects happening from April 1st of a year until March 31st of the following year.

14. Can funds be spent before March 31, for a project that would end beyond that date?

Treasury Board rules forbid beneficiaries of our grants to spend funds past March 31st. The only eligible expense after March 31st is the airfare tickets because they can be bought and paid in full before March 31st. A project can continue beyond March 31st if funds are obtained from other sources.

15. Can multiple trips be done under the same grant?

Yes, it is possible, however, the funding amount per project remains the same.

16. Can the project take place in more than one country?

Yes, but only in ELAP eligible countries. Furthermore, the maximum amount per project remains the same regardless of the number of countries.

17. If the Canadian faculty participating in the project travels to the partner institution before the results are announced, is the project still eligible for funding? Are retroactive reimbursements possible?

Yes, but it is at their own risk. There is no guaranty a project will receive funding before the evaluation is completed. Funding is retroactive for successful projects and eligible expenses only.

18. Are full-time professors under a contract with the Canadian institution eligible? What about assistant professors?

No, only full-time professors hired by the institution itself are eligible. Assistant professors and professors on sabbatical are eligible only if they have the status of full-time employee. Part-time professors and contractors are not eligible.

19. Is the program open to all full-time professors at Canadian universities, regardless of their personal citizenship status?

Only Canadian citizens and individuals with permanent resident status are eligible.

20. Can the project combine teaching and research?

Yes, both can be combined into the same project.

Faculty Mobility Program – Selection Committee’s feedback

Read the feedback carefully as it offers useful tips for preparing a successful project proposal.

Background

In 2009, the Government of Canada announced the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) to support the development of human capital and the next generation of leaders in the Americas while strengthening the linkages between post-secondary institutions in Canada and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The scholarships also advance Canada’s objectives for the Americas: democratic and accountable governance, human rights, the environment, diversity and Indigenous peoples.

Over 400 scholarships are awarded every year for a total of over 4,000 scholarships since 2009.