Call for Nominations – Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity 

From: Leah Cowen, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives
Date: April 8, 2022
Re: Call for Nominations – Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity

I am pleased to invite internal nominations for the inaugural Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity, presented by the Canada Research Chairs Program to fund bold and potentially game-changing projects that will take action to address persistent systemic barriers in the research ecosystem and academia. I encourage you to share this information widely and consider preparing nominations of eligible candidates, taking into account principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in your identification of nominees. 

Three Robbins-Ollivier Awards valued at $100,000 over one year will be presented annually to eligible faculty members or teams nominated by Canadian institutions. Awards fund the implementation of research led by the nominated individual or team that: 

  • contributes to the understanding of the persistence of systemic barriers in the nominating institution and/or the research ecosystem and academia more broadly; and 
  • identifies innovative measures that could be implemented to change the status quo and break down those barriers in the long term. 

The awards are also intended to recognize faculty members who contribute their time, expertise and lived experience to help address inequities in their institution, the research ecosystem and academia; and to provide opportunities for students and trainees to contribute to this important work. 

Eligibility

The University of Toronto may submit only one nomination for this competition per year. As such, the Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research and Innovation will review nominations and select the University’s nominee for 2022, adhering to standards of rigor, fairness, respect and equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the process. Internal nominators are encouraged to review the selection criteria carefully and ensure nominated projects meet the criteria robustly.  

To submit a candidate for consideration by the committee, please complete the following steps: 

One faculty member or team will be selected for nomination this year. My office will work with the nominated candidate(s) and supporting staff to facilitate the development of the full nominations and ensure its submission to the Canada Research Chairs Program by its July 29 deadline.  

For further information, please contact Andrea Gill, Research Equity & Development Strategist, at amk.gill@utoronto.ca.