Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute

Canadian Studies Doctoral Research Fellowship

This program is designed to assist full-time graduate students at degree-granting institutions of higher education, whose dissertations are related in substantial part to Canada, to undertake doctoral research about Canada. The purpose is to increase knowledge and understanding of Canada and to support the development of Canadian Studies. The award provides assistance towards international airfare and a monthly flat rate allowance for up to a maximum of 6 months spent in Canada while doing research.

Awards may be granted for research in any of the following categories:

• Although we welcome applications from all disciplines lending themselves most readily to Canadian Studies research development, we are particularly interested in projects that have policy relevance for Canada and Canada’s foreign policy. Topics that are highly relevant to Canada’s foreign policy include Democracy & Rule of Law, Economic Development, Environment, Managing Diversity, North American Partnership, Peace and Security;
• Comparative studies with substantial Canadian content (33% or more);
• Aspects of Canada’s bilateral relations with participating countries.

(Purely scientific subjects such as physics, chemistry, medicine, engineering, etc. which would not lead to a better knowledge and understanding of Canada per se are not eligible, nor are proposals which focus exclusively on technological or methodological issues).

Value:

The maximum value of any award will consist of a contribution towards international airfare, an allowance of 1,200 CDN$ per complete month towards expenses while in Canada, up to a maximum of 6 months, and an allocation of a hold-back upon submission to the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute of a final report on the award. Smaller awards may also be made.

Eligibility:

Eligibility is restricted to those applicants that meet the following criteria.

• a Citizen and permanent resident of India
• a graduate student in a recognized institution of higher education or equivalent degree-granting institute in the determined country who will have completed course and course-related doctoral requirements by the time a graduate student award would be granted; and
• proficient in either English or French.

Conditions of Tenure:

The International Council for Canadian Studies through a contribution of the Government of Canada, the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute and with the assistance of the appropriate Canadian Mission, will award non-renewable grants to successful candidates on condition that the candidate must give a written undertaking on his/her own behalf that:

• the applicant will personally apply for an award and will carry out his/her own doctoral dissertation research, as part of his/her formal program of studies leading to a degree;
• awards are intended to assist in defraying only direct costs resulting from a period of time spent in Canada while doing research, including return travel to Canada;
• the applicant will make all arrangements relating to the research project, including:
  1. international travel arrangements;
  2. visa and passport (if needed);
  3. accommodation and travel within Canada;
  4. medical insurance while in Canada;
  5. study plans, including inter alia appointments with Canadian academics and other resource persons, access to libraries and other study centres, etc.;
• the applicant will reside in Canada throughout the period to which the award relates;
• within 60 days of returning home, a candidate will send to the appropriate Canadian Mission a detailed report, in English or French, on the work done during the stay in Canada. Failure to do so may result in the forfeiture of the final payment of the award;
• the rights to the research will remain the exclusive property of the researcher. However, the Shastri Institute requires two copies of the subsequent dissertation when completed. (One copy will be forwarded to the, the International Council for Canadian Studies, Ottawa, for possible onward transmission to the Library and Archives Canada; the other will be retained by the Canadian Mission for consultation purposes);
• candidates who drop out of their doctoral program will immediately inform the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.

Canadian University Affiliate

An appropriate affiliate is established at a Canadian University/Institution based on recommendations of the Canadian Studies Committee in Canada. The affiliate provides a general orientation to university facilities, access to reference materials, discusses the Indian scholar’s work plans, and recommends resources they may consult.

India Orientation

The Shastri India Office provides an orientation for the Faculty Enrichment and Faculty Research scholars prior to their departure to Canada. The orientation provides an introduction to the Shastri Institute and covers aspects of Canadian culture and the Canadian research environment.

Disbursement of Funds:

Successful candidates will be sent a Grant Agreement detailing the value and conditions of the award. It must be signed and returned to the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute within 30 days.

Awards will be paid in several installments. The first payment, upon arrival in Canada, will include the first monthly allowance; the following monthly allowances will be paid at the end of each month in Canada up to the maximum number of months of the award; final payment will be disbursed only upon submission of an acceptable report on the research activities and progress while in Canada, as indicated in section 4 above.

Application Deadline:

Competition opens on July 30, 2010 and closes on October 1, 2010

Selection:

All applications will be reviewed by a pre-selection jury. The jury will include representatives of the academic community in the country or region of residence of the applicant (including if possible a representative of the national or multinational association for Canadian Studies) and, when possible, Canadian academics. At the discretion of the pre-selection jury, an applicant may be invited to submit additional information or an amended application.

Pertinent criteria will be:

• academic excellence of the proposal;
• relevance of the proposal to identified priorities and Canadian Studies ;
• The International Council for Canadian Studies in Ottawa will do the final selection following a review of complete applications and recommendations of the pre-selection jury.

All applicants will be notified in writing of the results of their application, normally within 90 days of the deadline for submission of applications.

Application Form:

Application Form
Cover Page & Reference Letter Template

Guidelines:

Applicants must include the cover page (above) with their applications and complete the checklist to ensure that all materials have been included. The reference letter template should be used by references to ensure that they provide the information we need.

Applications must be submitted through the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute. Applications submitted directly to the ICCS cannot be accepted nor redirected. An application dossier, in either English or French, will consist of a filled out application form accompanied by a concise curriculum vitae.

Report Form:

Interim Report Form
Final Report Form

Contact:

For more information, please contact Ms. Prachi Kaul at the Shastri India Office.

Shastri India Office
5 Bhai Vir Singh Marg
New Delhi, India 110 001
Phone: 11.2374.6417, 2374.3114, 2374.2677
Fax: 11.2374.6416
E-mail:sici@vsnl.com

Funding:

Funding for the Doctoral Research Fellowships and Summer Institute comes from the International Academic Relations Division of Foreign Affairs Canada.

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