Program Details

Introduction:

Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are at the heart of vibrant and active research groups. Their work is vital to the productivity and success of research labs in PEI and across the country. This human resource pool is critical to successful research and development programs and requires support.

The Innovation PEI Graduate and Post-Doctoral Fellowship program is designed to support and develop highly skilled researchers’ in the strategic sectors of bioscience, information technology, aerospace and renewable energy. This support allows them to gain research experience on industry relevant projects while undertaking their graduate or post-doctoral programs.

Eligible Proponents:

Applicants must:

• Demonstrate the capacity to conduct the proposed research.
• Clearly articulate the research plan and the commercialization potential stemming from project results.
• Work and reside on Prince Edward Island.

Eligible Projects:

Proposed Projects must:

• Fit clearly within one of the priority sectors: bioscience, information technology, aerospace or renewable energy.
• Include a research plan that identifies expected outcomes and deliverables.
• Have strong commercialization potential.
• Disclose and address use of intellectual or material property protected by copyright or patents as well as any ethical considerations resulting from the project.
• Disclose any partnerships relevant to the proposed project. This can be private sector collaborations or industry associations.

Other Considerations for Eligibility:

• Applicants/Supervisors who have received previous Provincial government funding are eligible, but may be asked to provide documentation that clearly segments ongoing research projects from the Graduate/Fellowship project.
• Applicants in arrears with any Government Department or Crown Corporation will be disqualified from the competition.

Project Assessment:

Proposed projects will be evaluated against a clear set of program criteria using only information contained in the submitted application. To ensure eligibility, all applications will be evaluated by professionals within Innovation PEI before being forwarded to the peer review committee. The peer review committee will consist of representatives from the public sector, academic institutions, and the private sector.

The applications will be evaluated based on the qualifications of the graduate or fellow, proposed project, supervisor and research team. If a student or fellow has not been identified, then the application will be evaluated based on the minimum required qualifications and skill sets of the researcher.

If a supervisor is successful in attaining funding under this program they will have a period of four months from the notification of success to recruit the graduate student or fellow. Students or Fellows who are currently enrolled in a program on PEI will not be eligible to receive this award. The recruitment application is meant to attract additional expertise to PEI and correspondingly grow the sector. Once an individual has been identified, the supervisor is required to submit a bio, CV and letters of reference for the individual to be evaluated against the original application. A letter of acceptance from the governing institution will also be required.

Level of Assistance:

Graduate students are eligible to receive $20,000 per year. Master’s stipends are provided for the duration of their Masters studies for a maximum period of two years. PhD students are eligible for $20,000 for the duration of their PhD to a maximum period of three years. If a Masters student wishes to convert to a PhD program after their first year of study, they must first receive written approval from Innovation PEI and support will not be extended from the previous timeline. Post-Doctoral Fellows are eligible to receive $40,000 per year to support their doctorate level research project. This funding is for a two year period.

If a successful applicant receives (or has received) a federal tri-council scholarship, then the contribution from Innovation PEI will be reduced to $15,000 for that year (Masters & PhD). The Post-Doctoral contribution will be negotiated based on the contribution level of the other award(s). If a successful applicant receives any other scholarship or fellowship of funding greater than $10,000, then Innovation PEI reserves the right to adjust its contribution accordingly.

Letters of Offer outlining the terms for each individual award will be issued to the governing institute or corporation. All correspondence will be directed through the primary research contact at the institute. Funding will be provided directly to the academic institution or the host industry partner. The institution/partner will be responsible to provide the salary payments to the recipient.

Performance Monitoring:

For each approved project, a letter of offer stating the terms and conditions of approval will be forwarded to the applicant or corporate contact. When accepted, the letter of offer shall constitute a contract between government and the applicant(s).

Should the project fail to comply with the terms and conditions of the contract or be discontinued, government may, at its sole discretion:

• Declare the applicant to be in non-performance (default) of the contract.
• Request the applicant to repay in full the incentive received.
• Take necessary legal action to collect the incentive amount in full with interest.

Intake Deadline:

The intake deadline for full applications will be June 29, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. Applications will not be accepted after the due date and extensions will not be considered.

For More Information:

Applications and instructions are available online at www.islandprosperity.com or can be obtained by contacting our office.

For specific questions or inquiries regarding the program, please contact:

Cody Clinton
Project Assistant, IPS Programs
Innovation PEI
(902) 620-3441
ceclinton@gov.pe.ca