Application Deadline April 24, 2023, 5:00 pm Toronto time (12:00 midnight Jerusalem time). Applications may be submitted via email to both luketx.li@utoronto.ca and almal@savion.huji.ac.il.
Notification to Successful Applicants
Mid-June, 2023. Applications will be assessed by a joint committee of HUJI and U of T.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) and the University of Toronto (U of T) are issuing a call for proposals for a Research & Training Alliance. Principal investigators from each institution are invited to jointly submit proposals for the development of a collaborative research focus and the exchange of graduate and undergraduate students and researchers, as well as one post-doctoral fellow.

The Hebrew University and University of Toronto Research & Training Alliance funds proposals in Medicine, Engineering, Science, Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, and Social Work. One new joint research & training proposal will be funded annually for a period of four years.

This is the fourth cycle for this Research & Training Alliance, scheduled to run from 2023-2027. For this cycle, we are inviting proposals from Social Science, Humanities, Law and Social Work; multidisciplinary engagement is encouraged in cases where it will strengthen the proposal.

Calls will be issued for projects in the Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Applied Sciences in subsequent years.

Funding
It is expected that three or more PIs from U of T will jointly apply with a group of three or more HUJI PIs to launch a project that includes the mobility and joint supervision of masters and doctoral students (research track Masters/Doctoral), as well as post-doctoral research fellows (PDF) in alignment with the International Doctoral Cluster (IDC) framework,). The Alliance will also fund undergraduate participation of University of Toronto students on their home campus on the research team.

U of T and HUJI will each provide the approved joint project with up to CDN $75,000/year (for a total of $150,000/year) for up to four years to support U of T and HUJI researchers and trainees. The Alliance will jointly train at least six PhD and/or masters students at a time and one or more co-supervised (by one U of T and one HUJI PI) PDF over the course of the four-year funding period, for a total of at least seven trainees. Undergraduate engagement in the project is also encouraged.

The joint project budget envelope of $150K/year should include $50K CDN/year for a postdoctoral fellowship (PDF) with the remaining $100K/year dedicated to costs related to funding travel for the exchange of researchers (undergraduate and graduate students, PDFs, research associates and/or PIs) between the institutions; costs associated with collaborative workshops/ symposia; and minor research costs associated with the project. Some reasonable flexibility on the budgetary expenses above is allowed.
 

Eligibility
Projects must include research team participants from both U of T and HUJI. U of T applicants must have a faculty appointment with U of T and be eligible to hold research funding. HUJI applicants must have a faculty appointment with HUJI and be eligible to supervise research students.

Proposal
In proposing the alliance, a joint team of co-Principal Investigators will articulate an academic rationale and statement of commitment:

 

1.  Academic case. The team will articulate an academic rationale for the collaboration, describing area(s) of complementary research strength. The team will identify which strengths reside at each institution, and the advantages of working together within a single research cluster. The team will discuss how these strengths result in an alliance that is more than the sum of its parts
2. . Synergy and critical mass. The team will list and explain the expertise and synergy among co-PIs (at least 3 per institution). The team will discuss complementarity among the co-PIs, and indications that the co-PIs are indeed committed to transforming the IDC into an active, co-supervisory collaboration.
3. Budget. The co-PIs will build a budget to support the cluster. Eligible expenses include: personnel expenses such as a PDF salary of up to $50,000 CAD per year; funding travel for the exchange of researchers (undergraduate and graduate students, PDFs, research associates and/or PIs) between the institutions; costs associated with collaborative workshops/symposia; and minor research costs associated with the project. The overall annual budget should not exceed $150,000 CAD, with a maximum of $75,000 CAD/year in costs for each university. Please use the attached budget table.
4. Implementation plan. The case will include a description of the implementation plan for the proposed cluster:
   a.   How will U of T and HUJI PIs raise awareness of, and participation, in the IDC amongst students?
   b.   How will U of T and HUJI PIs jointly recruit a PDF to the cluster?
   c.   How will PIs jointly utilize the alliance to recruit new/highly qualified doctoral students into the program, benefiting each of the collaborating institutions?
   d.   How will the co-PIs ensure ongoing collaboration?
5.  IDC model. The PIs will summarize briefly the academic requirements that meet the existing PhD degree program requirements of the U of T and HUJI collaborators. This will establish the conditions for a Joint Educational Placement for qualified doctoral students, including the duration of the students’ residency at each institution. PIs should also detail details regarding the proposed collaboration such as sharing of labs, beamtime, exchanges for doctoral, masters and undergraduate students, co-teaching of graduate courses or short courses, field work, etc.
6.  Path to sustainability. The proposal will include key milestones at the 2, 3, and final year anniversaries for the submission of grant proposals to national and international funding agencies, corporations, and philanthropic sources, and will show a path to building a sustained funded partnership that leverages the initial funding.

Selection Criteria
• Proposed academic focus including scientific quality, design, and rationale
• Demonstrated collaboration and complementarity amongst all PIs
• PDF training opportunity
• Opportunities for student exchange
• Expected results, outcomes, and project impact
• Impact of international collaboration on research project
 

Timelines
• Alliance Call for Proposals Opens: January, 2023
• Alliance Proposal Deadline: March 21, 2023
• Selection & Notification of Successful Applicants: Mid-June, 2023
• Anticipated Alliance Launch: September, 2023

Contact
If you have questions, please contact the University of Toronto’s Office of the Vice-President, International (international@utoronto.ca) or Hebrew University’s International Office (almal@savion.huji.ac.il).