IVADO Postdoctoral Research Funding Program 2024-25

The goals of the program are to:

• Attract from around the world some of the best young researchers in the fields and topics of relevance to R³AI initiative (see above) and future leaders in the multisectoral field of AI and its applications;
• Promote the mobility, recruitment and retention of young researchers;
• Foster the development of original research projects with the potential to contribute to the advancement of knowledge;
• Provide an immersive experience in the Québec AI ecosystem.

Opening of the competition: October 24, 2024

Application deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time on December 1, 2024

Expected results notification date: early March 2025

Funding start date: between April 1 and September 1, 2025

The annual funding amount is $100,000. It comprises:

• $80,000 of postdoctoral salary (including social benefits)/year allocated as follows:
  • $60,000 funded by IVADO;
  • $20,000 funded by an eligible supervisor (see “Eligibility criteria” section). Please note that, depending on the availability of funds and the salary scale applicable at the postdoc’s university of affiliation, the supervisor may offer salary support over $20,000.
• $20,000 of research funds/year (i.e. students’ salaries, travel, and subsistence) funded by IVADO.

Please note that the salary of $80,000 per year includes social benefits, which means that the net salary obtained will be lower, depending on the conditions of the host university.

The total duration of funding is 2 years, conditional on submitting a report at the end of the first year.

IVADO aims to provide funding to 10 postdoctoral researchers each year.

This funding cannot be combined with another nominative fellowship from a granting agency (ex. NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR).

Upon request, applicants from countries eligible for official development assistance from Canada may be reimbursed for their relocation expenses to begin their postdoctoral training in Québec.

Note for applicants from Quebec

IVADO plans to support candidates who have obtained their doctorate in Quebec to carry out an internship abroad (maximum one year) as part of their IVADO postdoctoral program (terms and conditions to follow). Candidates in this situation are invited to consider where their internship might take place and what additional expertise might be gained. Only candidates recommended for funding will be eligible for this opportunity.

IVADO will transfer $60,000 in salary and $20,000 in research funds per year to the supervisor. Note that the salary will be paid according to the specific rules of the host university. The research funds provided by IVADO are entirely at the disposal of the postdoctoral researcher. The $20,000 per year of additional salary is guaranteed by the supervisor, who commits to pay this amount to the postdoctoral researcher.

For projects requiring ethics approval, funds will not be released until approval is granted. Some projects, for example those conducted in partnership with businesses, may require specific agreements (e.g., pertaining to intellectual property).

For the postdoctoral applicant

The applicant must enroll in a postdoctoral program at one of the 5 following universities: HEC Montréal, McGill University, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal or Université Laval. The postdoctoral researcher is expected to be in Québec for the duration of the program (except in the specific case of our international internship opportunity for candidates from Québec, see “Conditions of the award”).

The applicant:

• Has earned their doctorate less than five years prior to the beginning of the IVADO funding (see Calendar section); or
• Expects to earn it by the beginning of the IVADO funding (see Calendar section);
• Maintains their postdoc status during the whole duration of the funding (2 years).

Applications from candidates of Underrepresented Groups are strongly encouraged.

Applications from a variety of disciplines, including social sciences and humanities, are strongly encouraged.

Applications from candidates with principal PhD affiliations outside Québec are strongly encouraged.

International postdoc researchers must obtain the appropriate permits (i.e. work permits) for the duration of their stay in Québec.

Career interruptions and particular circumstances will be taken into account in the evaluation, provided they are well explained (e.g., parental leave, sick leave, COVID impact, …) in the application. Dates of delays and interruptions should be provided.

Eligibility of the potential supervisor

The supervisor:

• Must be a regular faculty member at HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal, Université Laval or McGill University;
• Must have one of the following eligible positions: assistant professor, associate professor or full professor;
• Must not have been the applicant’s PhD thesis director or co-director,
• Must not be or have been the applicant’s supervisor or co-supervisor if the applicant already is a postdoc;
• The supervisor should be affiliated to one of the IVADO academic members, or, if not, be a Faculty of one of the 5 partner universities significantly involved in the R³AI initiative.

Applicants must submit their application on our dedicated Portal. Applications submitted by e-mail will not be accepted.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

The application package must include:

• A form to be completed on the IVADO Portal, including a description of your postdoctoral project (maximum two pages; references may be listed on a third page);
• A funding plan which explains how you would spend the $20,000/year in research funds (e.g. hiring students, travel, and subsistence). This plan can be in the format of your choice.
• Your CV (free format, in PDF);
• Your official PhD transcripts (please explain the grading scale in the case of non-Canadian universities) to be uploaded;
• At least two but not more than three letters of recommendation;
• A list of maximum 3 potential eligible supervisors (see above);
• Optional: A letter of support from a potential eligible supervisor, if this person has already accepted to support your application and to provide you with $20,000/year in additional salary.

Applications can be submitted either in English or French.

Important: Letters of recommendation must have been sent to us by their authors before the competition closing time. If we have not received all required letters by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on December 1, 2024, your application will be considered incomplete and you will be ineligible for the program.

Your letter of support (if your application contains one) must clearly indicate that the concerned supervisor commits to provide you with $20,000 per year for 2 years in additional salary.

1. Applications will first be reviewed by IVADO staff to ensure compliance with the program’s eligibility criteria;
2. Eligible applications will be forwarded to potential supervisors (as listed in the application package) and academic members;
3. Supervisors will identify which applications they wish to support;
4. Applications supported by supervisors will then be forwarded to the Evaluation Committee for evaluation and ranking.

The Evaluation Committee will be multidisciplinary and compliant with EDI principles.

The following criteria will be used to assess the applications:

• The applicant’s contributions to research (scientific impact, quality of research, previous funding awarded, etc.);
• Academic excellence;
• The depth and breadth of their experience (multidisciplinary and professional experience, extra-academic activities, collaborations, contributions to the scientific community and to society, etc.);
• Alignment of the proposed project with the R³AI Initiative, and the relevant experience to carry it out.

With this postdoctoral funding program, IVADO aims to attract talented international researchers, and thus will give priority to applications with principal PhD affiliations outside Québec.

The Evaluation Committee will take into consideration special circumstances that could have affected candidates’ research, professional career, record of academic or research achievement, or completion of degrees.

The Evaluation Committee will rank the applicants and make recommendations for funding. The final decision will be taken by the IVADO Scientific Committee.

For more information on the process and general evaluation practices of our programs, please consult the “EVALUATION OF GRANT AND SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS” section of the Conducting Research Responsibly Handbook.

As a postdoctoral researcher:

• Dedicate 100% of your research time to the IVADO postdoctoral program;
• Provide prior notice to IVADO of any change to your postdoc situation. IVADO reserves the right, after reviewing a modification request, to adjust its financial contribution or even suspend it if the modifications are no longer compatible with the terms and conditions of the award.
• Contribute to the IVADO community and activities, including, e.g.:
  • Participating to onboarding activities offered by IVADO;
  • Giving presentations on your research;
  • Taking part in various activities organized by IVADO (scientific activities, evaluations, co-organization of events, etc.).
• Comply with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications. You are encouraged to publish your research findings (e.g., papers, recordings of presentations, source code, databases) in compliance with the intellectual property rules governing your specific situation;
• Acknowledge the support of IVADO and the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

As a supervisor:

• Provide complementary salary funding;
• Manage and provide access to IVADO’s $20,000 per year in research funds for the postdoctoral researcher’s work;
• Provide a work environment conducive to the completion of the project;
• Oversee the postdoctoral researcher’s work.

IVADO commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

To ensure all members of society draw equal benefit from the advancement of knowledge and opportunities, IVADO promotes principles of equity, diversity and inclusion across all of our programs, and we commit to providing a recruitment process and research setting that are inclusive, non-discriminatory, open, and transparent.

Is this postdoctoral funding a scholarship?

No. This funding consists of a research fund ($20,000/year) and a salary. The postdoctoral researchers will be considered salaried employees by the university where the internship is to take place. Please note that the salary of $80,000 per year (co-financed by IVADO and the supervisor) includes social benefits, which means that the net salary obtained will be lower, depending on the conditions of the host university. We invite you to contact the universities concerned for more details on this subject.

Does my CV need to be in a specific format?

No. There is no particular CV format to be followed. Note, however, that each element of your application package must help the members of the Evaluation Committee to form an opinion. A CV that is too long or confusing may make assessment more difficult.

Are there any specific rules for the letters of recommendation?

No. There are no specific rules for the letters of recommendation. However, they should address the evaluation criteria, particularly the first three (contributions to research, academic excellence and experience).

As an applicant, can I send the letters of recommendation myself?

No. Letters of recommendation may be uploaded only by their authors, via the dedicated platform.

Can I send in my unofficial transcripts?

No. You must use the dedicated platform to upload all your official transcripts, including all current results.

I earned my PhD in a country that does not provide a transcript for that degree. What should I do?

Please include a note to that effect in your application and provide the transcript for your master’s degree instead and a copy of your PhD Diploma.

Can I engage in any other paid activity, e.g., consulting, while doing my postdoctoral work?

The funding is provided solely for full-time research activity. The cumulative funding amount is meant to be sufficient to allow you to focus exclusively on your research. However, complementary activities are equally important to your training. To balance these two aspects, it is acceptable for you to engage in paid activities that:

• Are compliant with the policies of the home institution regarding other sources of income; and
• Do not prevent you from doing the work for which you are receiving IVADO funding as if you were doing it full time.

What happens if my supervisor changes status or affiliation during the funding period?

A change in the supervisor’s status or affiliation during the funding period may result in the cessation of funding. However, we will always try to find a solution at the benefit of the postdoctoral researcher and the research to be done.

You must inform IVADO of any such changes.

I’ve previously been awarded an IVADO postdoctoral research funding through a previous postdoc competition. Am I still eligible to this competition?

Yes.

I’ve previously been awarded an IVADO postdoctoral research funding through research funds like the IVADO-PRF program. Am I eligible to this year’s competition?

No.

If my application is not financially supported by an eligible supervisor, can I receive IVADO postdoctoral funding?

No. You must receive complementary funding from one eligible supervisor.

Have other questions? Please send them to: programmes-excellence@ivado.ca