September 2007
Memorandum
August 8, 2007
To: University Presidents, Vice-Presidents Research and Research Grants Officers
From: Mario Lamarca, Director, Life Sciences and Special Research Opportunities
Subject: Discontinuation and replacement of the University Faculty Awards (UFA) program
following the 2008 competition.
Following the UFA
program evaluation, completed last year, and subsequent informal consultations,
NSERC has decided to realign programs aimed at addressing the
under-representation of women and Aboriginal people in the natural sciences and
engineering.
The women’s
component of the UFA program, which began in 1999, focused on recruiting women
to faculty positions in the natural sciences and engineering by identifying and
supporting exceptional emerging researchers in Canada’s universities. Since
then, the pool of female faculty in these institutions has approximately
doubled.
In order to build
on itssuccesses, NSERC has now identified the retention of female
researchers as a key means of ensuring a long-term balance in faculty numbers.
We will therefore turn our attention to developing a new program, which will
replace the UFA program, aimed at the retention and career progression of female
researchers within the natural sciences and engineering. To help inform the
development process NSERC will, in the coming months, consult with universities
on the specific needs of their research community.
Please note that
NSERC will discontinue t he existing UFA program after the 2008 competition to
devote future resources to the new program, while maintaining existing award
commitments. The deadline for the final call for nominations is November 1,
2007.
A new program
designed to address the under-representation of Aboriginal persons in the
natural sciences and engineering is also being developed and will be announced
shortly.
NSERC is interested in your
institution’s views on these important issues. If you have suggestions, comments
or questions about the program and how it could evolve, please contact Andrzej
Antoszkiewicz at 613-944-6238 or andrzej.antoszkiewicz@nserc.ca.
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