General Information

ARC Release provides one section of teaching release for a Langara researcher to write a proposal for a major external grant, or to build capacity such that the proposed research is ready to compete for an external grant. ARC Release grants are administered and adjudicated by the ARC Release Committee. One ARC Release grant is available each year in a competition that closes at the end of January. The competition is open to all faculty, regardless of contract status. The successful candidate may take up the grant at the beginning of any one of the following fall, spring, or summer semesters. The duration of the grant is one semester.

Objective

  1. At the end of the grant semester, the grantee should have completed an application for a substantial external grant through SSHRC, NSERC (e.g., the College and Community Innovation Program, CCIP), or comparable agency; OR
  2. At the end of the grant semester, the grantee should have significantly developed existing research capacity so as to be well positioned to apply for a substantial external grant (through SSHRC, NSERC, or comparable).

Priority Considerations

  1. The application identifies a target external grant fund and explains how the proposed activities will fulfill the grant criteria.
  2. The applicant has amassed a substantial body of relevant work. Typically, the successful applicant has completed an ARC Fund project, or equivalent.
  3. The applicant has pursued, or has plans to pursue, a partnership or collaboration with a private sector or nonprofit organization, if appropriate for the target external grant.
  4. The application clearly articulates how Objective 1 or 2 will be accomplished.
  5. The applicant demonstrates how students will be involved in the proposed research. This is strongly recommended, but not required, unless specified in the target grant criteria.

Adjudication

Applications are adjudicated by a multi-disciplinary committee. Please ensure that your responses are free of discipline-specific jargon and are appropriate for committee members who may not be familiar with the established principles of your discipline. See the Getting Started website for details of the adjudication process and rubric.

Your project must comply with all relevant College research policies, including, but not limited to, approval from the Langara Research Ethics Board (LREB).

Funds are non-transferable and funding allocation is subject to review by the ARC Release Committee.

How to Apply

Complete and submit the online application form, including all requested supporting documentation. Ensure that your application is reviewed by your department chair and dean before submission.

Your included CV should describe your publications, conference presentations, and participation in scholarly or professional associations.

ARC’s Coordinators, Yue-Ching Cheng (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Creative Arts) and Nathan Jones (Science and Technology) are available to help you with your application. You are encouraged to consult with them before submission to ensure that your application is competitive.

Post-Grant Obligations

At the end of the funded semester, you must prepare a summary of your activities for external communication and submit it to your dean and department chair. You will be expected to participate in Langara’s Applied Research Day, which is an annual conference designed to showcase research and scholarly activity at the College, usually held during the third week of March.

Additional Information

Please contact either Yue-Ching Cheng, Coordinator of Applied Research (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Creative Arts), or Nathan Jones, Coordinator of Applied Research (Science and Technology) for more information.