CRC – Renewal nominations

CRCs are renewable only once. Before renewal files are sent to the CRC Secretariat as a full renewal submission, candidates up for renewal are first assessed at the university level according to four main criteria:

1. The level of excellence achieved by the Chairholder in either research or knowledge creation; 
2. The level of excellence achieved in furthering the University’s educational mission and, especially, in training junior or beginning researchers; 
3. The level of excellence achieved in heightening the Chair’s national and international profile; and
4. How closely the Chair's research themes support the University's strategic areas of research.

The renewal process, which involves five stages, is designed to produce a decision a few months before the renewal nomination deadline at the CRC Secretariat:

• The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation obtains an opinion from the Dean to whom the Chairholder reports. If the Dean does not support the application for renewal, the renewal process does not take place.
• Immediately upon being invited to do so, the Chairholder prepares an application for renewal and sends only the following documents to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation:
  • A performance report written by the nominee (six pages maximum). For more information, see the CRC Renewal Instructions guidelines (PDF, 20.8 KB).
  • A description of the proposed research program written by the nominee (six pages maximum) and one-page reference list (in addition to the six page proposal). For more information, see the CRC Renewal Instructions guidelines (PDF, 20.8 KB).
  • A current curriculum vitae of the nominee using the Canada Research Chairs Program requirements (PDF, 84.4 KB);
  • The name and contact information of five independent reviewers (including at least two outside Canada) with whom the University’s Research Chairs Evaluation Committee could consult;
• The Chairholder’s renewal file is sent to external evaluators by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation;
• The entire file, including the external evaluations, is assessed by the University’s Research Chairs Evaluation Committee, which recommends either that a full Chair dossier should be sent or not to the Canada Research Chairs Program for renewal consideration; and
• The Chairholder and the Dean concerned are notified of the decision. There is no appeal process.

In order to avoid any conflict of interest, please ensure that the potential reviewers:

• are not affiliated in any way with the University of Ottawa (including hospitals and research institutes);
• have no personal relationship with the nominee (includes close friend, relative, former PhD or postdoctoral supervisor, mentor, a student previously under the nominee’s supervision);
• have not collaborated, published or shared funding with the nominee in the last six years, or have plans to do so in the immediate future;
• are not involved in the proposed program of research; and
• are not in a position to gain or lose financially/materially from the outcome of the nomination.

For Canada Research Chairholders (CRC) whose term has ended and who remains at the University of Ottawa, the University provides two additional years from the end date of the Chair to expend any residual funds remaining in the CRC research funds account. The funds must be used in accordance with the policies of the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide and the original purpose of the CRC award. No extension beyond this period will be granted.