Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowships

Eligibility

Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellows are leading researchers whose superior, groundbreaking, best-in-class research stands to have significant impact on a national or global scale. 

A Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellow embodies one or more of the Killam attributes: 

• Inclusive collaborator 
• Barrier breaker 
• Research leader  

The Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowship may support a specific collaborative project, a knowledge exchange initiative, a novel multidisciplinary collaboration, or other scholarly pursuits that advances knowledge. 

The program will award up to three (3) fellowships each year, and each fellowship project must align with an NRC challenge program.     

Note: If you do not see an area of research that aligns with your proposed project, please contact KillamProgram-ProgrammeKillam@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca to enquire about eligibility.

To be eligible, Fellowship applicants must: 

• be willing and able to travel to an NRC location or locations in Canada to collaborate with an NRC co-PI as required;  
• obtain a reliability status personnel security clearance; 
• demonstrate commitment to building Canada’s future and alignment with Killam attributes; 
• agree to participate in community engagement and knowledge mobilization activities. This may include: participation in the Killam Laureate Network, participation in a Fellows lecture series and invited lectures, and/or participation in 7  dissemination activities with relevant University departments, or with other organizations or appropriate scientific societies. 
• demonstrate commitment to knowledge exchange with their NRC co-PI; 
• be a mid-to-late career researcher, although researchers at earlier career stages may be considered in some cases; 
• receive release time to conduct the proposed research, and will continue to be employed by the same institution for up to 12 months from the start of the Fellowship; and,
• consent to disclose any information that may constitute a significant departure from generally-recognized standards of public behaviour and which is seen to undermine the public reputation of the National Killam Program. 

To be eligible, the NRC co-PI must: 

• be employed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) at any stage of career; 
• hold a reliability status personnel security clearance at the NRC; 
• demonstrate commitment to building Canada’s future and alignment with Killam attributes; 
• demonstrate commitment to collaborate with the Fellow at one or more NRC sites as required for the project; 
• receive release time to conduct the proposed research from the NRC, and continue to be employed by the same institution for up to 12 months from the start of the Fellowship; 
• demonstrate commitment to knowledge exchange with the Fellow;  
• agree to participate in community engagement and knowledge mobilization activities which may require travel; and, 
• consent to disclose any information that may constitute a significant departure from generally-recognized standards of public behaviour and which is seen to undermine the public reputation of the National Killam Program. 

Summary

Dorothy Killam had a vision of building Canada’s future through advanced study. Through her will, she established a perpetual trust to realize her vision and fund generations of scholars in Canada.   

This fellowship is named in honour of Dr. Paul Corkum, professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa, director of the Max Planck-University of Ottawa Centre and a principal research officer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).

The Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowships support advanced study and research excellence by creating opportunities for Canadian and international scholars to partner with NRC researchers, leverage NRC facilities and resources, and share knowledge through new collaborations.

The program promotes discovery and innovation through shared exploration, work and growth. The co-PI model encourages the Fellow and the NRC researcher to collaborate on a project for up to one year.  

The Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowship is intended to: 

• enable new and potentially disruptive technologies to be developed with industry, academics and government; 
• strengthen collaborations with industry, academia, and various levels of government to attain critical mass for addressing national issues of importance to the Canadian economy and quality of life for Canadians; 
• find solutions to some of the most serious public policy challenges; and 
• create stronger innovation ecosystems in specific sectors by enabling industry, academics, and government labs to to partner with NRC researchers, leveraging NRC facilities and resources, and share knowledge

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

These are release-time fellowships. INSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL OF THIS RESEARCH LEAVE IS REQUIRED - SEE BELOW.

Submission Instructions

Send the following three documents to the Research Services Office (researchawards@ucalgary.ca) by June 5, 2024

1. Joint project proposal - 1,500 words 
2. Two CVs 
3. 2 Candidate statements from Fellow and NRC co-PI- 1,000 words each
4. Killam Approvals Form: since the Fellowship includes a research leave, you must obtain approval from your Department Head, Dean/Associate Dean (Research). Complete the Killam Approvals Form, obtain signatures from your Department Head and Dean/Associate Dean (Research) and send a copy to Research Services.
5. Institutional attestation form, which will be signed off by Research Services. 

Upon receipt of the above documents, Research Services will review your application and obtain the Provost's final approval for your research leave (conditional on award of the Fellowship).

Fellowships are valued at $100,000 CAD per year in the form of a grant that is paid to the institution of each Fellow to cover release time. An additional grant of up to $50,000 CAD is available to accommodate travel and knowledge dissemination costs of the Fellow, based on budget estimates provided in the proposal.  

Funding Purpose and Availabilities:

The following are examples of eligible activities for this funding opportunity: 

A. Release from teaching and/or administrative duties: 

• to pursue collaborative R&D projects and can include planning, research, development, prototype development, feasibility studies, demonstrations and capacity building intended to support research, development, adoption and/or adaptation of innovative or technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes in Canada up to their commercialization; and/or 

B. Collaboration and knowledge dissemination activities: 

• To pursue projects and initiatives including support for science or innovation-based conferences, workshops, symposia, coordination or other outreach and partnership development activities as well as costs related to the travel to such events by non-government employees.  

Application Process:

The Fellowship is based on a co-PI model, which requires all submissions to propose one co-PI (the Fellow), employed outside of the NRC, and one co-PI employed by the NRC.

There are no restrictions on the nature of the proposed project: projects could be technical, based on knowledge exchange, or exploratory, so long as they align with approved activities per the terms and conditions of NRC Challenge Program funding. 

Proposals are co-defined by the NRC co-PI and the Fellow.  

If you are a Fellowship candidate and need help connecting with an NRC investigator, please complete an Expression of Interest form and submit it via email to the National Killam Program Office (NKPO - KillamProgram-ProgrammeKillam@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca) and researchawards@ucalgary.ca  The NKPO will respond to your inquiry within 10 business days. 

Applicants must submit the application form, attestation forms, and all required documents by 23:59 (applicant’s local time) on June 20, 2024 to KillamProgramProgrammeKillam@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca 

Applications must include the following (Click here to view the full guidelines):

1. Application Form
2. Joint collaborative research abstract (Up to 250 words in English or 300 words in French)
3. Joint project proposal (Up to 1,500 words in English or 2,000 words in French, and up to one additional page for budget estimates, and up to five additional pages for references) 
4. Joint knowledge mobilization plan (Up to 1,000 words in English or 1,200 words in French)  
5. Joint community research supplement (optional, up to 500 words in English or 750 words in French) 
6. Two letters of support (Each up to 1,000 words in English or 1,200 words in French) 
7. Two full CVs including candidate statements, one from the Fellow nominee and one from the NRC co-PI (Up to 30 pages in English or 36 pages in French)
8. Attestations – Attestation forms from each co-applicant, as well as their respective institutions. 
9. Voluntary Self-Identification Form 

SUPPORT Review:

The SUPPORT: Research Awards committee is available to review and provide feedback to strengthen nominations for this Fellowship. This committee is comprised of distinguished University of Calgary faculty who have won major national awards and sat on national award selection committees.

SUPPORT Review deadline (optional): April 25, 2024

Your Faculty or Associate Dean (Research) must submit the request for review to researchawards@ucalgary.ca.

1. Joint Project Proposal - 1,500 words 
2. Two Curriculum Vitae (CVs) with Candidate Statements 
   1. Statements - 1,000 words each and includes information on alignment with Killam attributes.
   2. CVs - up to 30 pages- including information on all publications, presentations, and grants and other fellowships received, awards and/or general recognition
3. Each submission must include a SUPPORT Review Form. 
4. Each faculty must submit a short statement describing how equity, diversity and inclusion were considered in the internal Faculty selection process.