Dimensions: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Canada awards (Pilot)

Instructions for completing a letter of intent (LOI)

• General information
• Completing the LOI
• Preview of expectations for full application

General information

About the pilot

Read the description of the Dimensions: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Canada (hereafter referred to as Dimensions) awards (pilot) before you complete your Letter of Intent (LOI). Your LOI should provide the selection committee with all of the information needed to evaluate it using the selection criteria detailed in the description of the awards.

Who completes the LOI?

The LOI and required documentation should be completed and submitted by an authorized institutional official from an institution that is eligible for this pilot (the applicant), as defined in the description of the awards.

With the exception of personal or institutional contact information, changes or updates to your LOI will not be accepted once it has been submitted. Contact information may be updated by sending an email to dimensionsEDI@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

A complete LOI

A complete LOI for the pilot consists of the following two documents:

• a completed Charter Endorsement form, signed by the institution’s president or equivalent, in PDF format; and
• a completed LOI Form, including the Terms and Conditions of Applying signed by the applicant, in PDF format.

Completing the LOI

Charter endorsement form

On behalf of your institution, the president or equivalent must endorse the Dimensions charter by signing the form and committing to adopting its principles in the institution’s policies, practices, action plans and culture.

LOI form

General information

Provide the name of the institution and applicant information (to be completed by the authorized institutional official submitting the LOI), and confirm whether the institution already has a publicly available equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) plan (such as the  Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan) in place.

Institutional overview (maximum 250 words)

Provide a high-level overview introducing your institution as a whole. This could include your institution’s mission, highlights of your programs, number of campuses, etc. You should also describe the composition of the research community in your institution. For the purposes of the pilot, the research community is understood to include students, non-academic and support staff, part-time and full-time academic staff, post-doctoral fellows, researchers, faculty, and partners.

Institutional commitment (maximum 500 words)

Elaborate on the commitment of your institution to the implementation of the Dimensions charter’s principles. Describe the level of engagement of upper-level management and how institutional commitments will be embedded in policies and practices.

Provide details on financial and human resources to be committed by your institution to this work.

Self-assessment team (maximum 500 words)

Describe your institution’s plans to assemble a self-assessment team (SAT). The SAT should be an equitable, diverse and inclusive group comprised of representatives from across all faculties or programs and from various types of roles within the institution’s research community, with consideration of intersectionality, as a commitment to broad-based engagement in the advancement of EDI. It is vital that the composition of the SAT does not lead to a disproportionate burden on underrepresented groups. Detail how the SAT will be an integral part of the institutional accountability structure.

Include a description of available resources (funding allocation and/or human resources), support mechanisms (reduction of teaching load or other workload, special pay, overtime, vacation allowances, credit or compensation for students, etc.) and recognition systems (inclusion in performance reviews, student recognition awards, etc.) for all those serving on the SAT. Detail the mechanism for how concerns and complaints will be monitored, addressed and reported to senior administration.

Overview of data collection and use (maximum 1000 words)

Provide an overview of current EDI-related data-collection activities at your institution. Note that actual data does not need to be provided at the LOI stage; rather, provide information on which data are currently being collected and used. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection should be described. Quantitative data could include, for example, self-identification of members of the research community. Qualitative data could include, for example, information related to policies, practices, systems, reports of lived experience, changes in research culture and increased culture of inclusion.

For the purposes of the Dimensions pilot, disaggregated data should be collected on the following underrepresented groups: women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities or racialized groups, and members of LGBTQ2+ communities. Institutions are encouraged to recognize and be inclusive of other underrepresented and disadvantaged groups in their community beyond those listed above. Those institutions that participate in the pilot will be provided with guidance on standardized quantitative data collection and on best practices for qualitative data collection.

Data collection by institutions participating in the pilot should include information related to access, representation, recruitment, admissions, retention and promotion, career development and security, pay, working and learning conditions/environments, and resources of members of the research community in various positions and at various levels. Disaggregated data relating to these common elements should be collected and evaluated to form the foundation of an action plan, whenever possible. Explain if and how such data currently informs policies and practices at your institution.

You must also include a description of the institution’s current strategies for collecting, protecting, accessing and using data, as well as for encouraging individuals to self-identify as a member of underrepresented groups.

If your institution does not currently collect the data identified above, explain why and provide a high-level plan to demonstrate how it will develop the capabilities to collect and analyze these data within the next two years.

Description of EDI-related measures (maximum 1000 words)

Provide a brief description of existing measures and policies in place at your institution to promote and increase EDI. Include a minimum of two examples of EDI initiatives, projects, policies or accountability mechanisms that have been implemented in the past two years. This could include actions taken to identify and dismantle barriers, to address biases and to make sustainable systemic changes, using an intersectional lens. It could also include strategies for dealing with resistance and for creating “buy-in” from the institution’s community. Describe the progress and success of these initiatives to date and explain measures taken to increase the institution’s success after encountering challenges.

If you do not currently have any measures in place, describe initiatives that are planned.
If your institution already has a publicly available EDI plan (such as the  Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan) in place, summarize and provide a link to this plan.

Terms and conditions of applying

The Terms and Conditions of Applying must be signed and uploaded as part of the LOI Form.

LOI deadline

LOIs must be submitted before 8:00 p.m. (ET) on July 8, 2019.

How to submit your LOI

Complete LOIs—consisting of the completed LOI form and the signed Dimensions charter—must be uploaded to the  Dimensions Secure Upload Site.

How to get help

For more information about this opportunity, email dimensionsEDI@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

For technical inquiries contact the On-line Services Helpdesk by email at webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca, by phone at 613-995-4273, or complete an On-line Services Support Request.

Preview of expectations for full application

If selected for the pilot, your institution will be required to collect data for two years, then complete a full application package to be evaluated for an award. A detailed handbook will be provided to guide you in the preparation of your application. The table below provides initial guidance regarding those requirements. Please note that word limits exclude grids, graphics and tables. These expectations are tentative and subject to change.