fb pixel
The University of Winnipeg

Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund

The Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF) was announced on May 15, 2020, as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. The temporary program was established to help sustain the research enterprise at Canadian universities and health research institutions that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CRCEF Stage 1 - Open Call for Applications:  Wage Support

CRCEF Stage 2

CRCEF Stage 3 - Open Call for Applications

CRCEF Stage 4

The University of Winnipeg’s Use and Distribution of Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF)

The University of Winnipeg acknowledges receipt and use of the Canada Research Continuity Emergency Funds. The following is an overview of the program’s funding and other requirements.

“The Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF) was announced on May 15, 2020, as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. The temporary program has been established to help sustain the research enterprise at Canadian universities and health research institutions that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected that the program will help reduce negative impacts of the pandemic and ensure that the benefits of significant investments to date in universities and health research institutions are protected. This will maintain Canada’s international competitiveness in the global, knowledge-based economy, and contribute to Canadians’ health and social and cultural life, as well as the health of Canada’s natural environment” (Government of Canada, 2020).

For further information about the CRCEF please see: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/crcef-fucrc/index-eng.aspx

Funding, Administration and Oversight of the CRCEF at the University of Winnipeg

Dr. Jino Distasio, Vice President of Research and Innovation j.distasio@uwinnipeg.ca, will serve as the University of Winnipeg’s Senior Administrator responsible for ensuring the CRCEF program requirements are followed, with specific attention paid to ensuring that equity, diversity and inclusion considerations are central within the governance and administration process. 

A CRCEF Oversight Committee was assembled to assist in implementing the CRCEF program.  Membership for this Committee was drawn from the institution’s “EDI Steering Team” (responsible for coordinating our role as a Dimension’s Pilot site, as well as the NSERC EDI capacity-building grant).  Connecting our EDI Steering Team with our CRCEF Oversight Committee will ensure that learnings related to inclusive data gathering processes, diverse research traditions and expertise, as well as how to maximize engagement and communication efforts are shared. 

The CRCEF Oversight Committee will report as necessary to the President and the Executive Planning and Priorities Committee (EPP), which is the institution’s highest administrative structure below the University Senate and Board of Regents. 

The CRCEF Oversight Committee was designed to represent a broad and diverse cross-section of university departments, faculties, research expertise, and include individuals from a range of equity-seeking groups.  Membership of the CRCEF Oversight Committee is as follows:

  • Jino Distasio, Vice-President, Research and Innovation (Chair)
  • Jan Stewart, Deputy Provost and Associate Vice-President Academic
  • Lorena Fontaine, BA, LLB, LLM, Indigenous Academic Lead
  • Manish Pandey, Chair of the Department of Economics
  • Stacey Belding, Human Rights and Diversity Officer

The University of Winnipeg commits to administering program funds in a robust and transparent manner. To this end, the University of Winnipeg will issue an open call for applications, specifically reaching out to individual faculty to encourage applications from women, members of racialized communities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity.  Communication bulletins will be distributed to the campus community ensuring that individuals at every level of our institution are aware of the program.

The CRCEF Oversight Committee will connect with the UWinnipeg Academic Response Planning Team to ensure that the widest range of barriers to full participation in the workforce during the pandemic are identified and understood.  Initial learnings have illuminated that childcare, elder care, disability and mental health considerations are key factors that must be addressed. 

University of Winnipeg CRCEF Review of Application and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Winnipeg has a long standing commitment to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.   This commitment is at the core of our institutional mission statement, which states we shall cultivate a community that appreciates, fosters, and promotes values of human dignity, equality, nondiscrimination and appreciation of diversity.  We recognize that a diverse faculty, staff and student body benefits and enriches the work, learning and research environments, and is essential to academic and institutional excellence. 

The CRCEF Oversight Committee will review applications for funding while holding EDI considerations at the core of the decision-making process. Each member of the group will receive unconscious bias training that will be provided by University of Winnipeg specialists in our Human Rights and Diversity Office, as well as the CRC Unconscious Bias online training module: https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/equity-equite/bias/module-eng.aspx.  The intent will be to limit the negative impact of unconscious bias and systemic barriers for both wage support and maintenance/ramp-up costs, including cases where the need exceeds the funds provided.

The CRCEF Oversight Committee will specifically prioritize the following funding applications:

  • submissions from applicants who identify as a member of one or more of the four designated groups (e.g. women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized groups, and persons with disabilities) and/or early career researchers within their first five years of academic appointment;
  • research that engages or impacts individuals from equity-seeking or underrepresented groups (e.g. Indigenous ways of knowing, intersectional / interdisciplinary research focused on issues of gender, race or minority status);
  • costs associated with non-traditional or unconventional research costs (e.g. based in Indigenous ways of knowing, intersectional / interdisciplinary research focused on issues of gender, race or minority status); and
  • costs related to research maintenance/ramp-up impacted by the inability to continue research due to applicant or research team member(s) personal health considerations, family obligations for dependent care, limited access to medical care for persons with disabilities, lack of family support due to the global pandemic.

Please note: the University of Winnipeg does not have an affiliated health-related institution and as such is not required to develop a method of distribution to affiliated institutions.