Path to success

The Global Excellence Initiative promotes Canada’s research profile on the global stage. To increase international recognition, a strategy was developed to ensure more scholars and researchers are nominated for major awards. 

  1. Support: Ainventories of national and international research awards eligible for external review is updated regularly; our program specialist coordinates the anonymous review of nomination dossiers.
  2. Talent scouting: The Global Excellence Initiative canvassing committee identifies potential nominees for international awards and communicates with the candidate’s institution to effect the nomination process.
  3. Institutional: Institutions are encouraged to identify meritorious nominees through their own internal processes, or act on the recommendations of the canvassing committee by drafting nominations and submitting those nominations to the program officer for external review. 

Nominations

Early career researchers

In the early stages of a researcher’s career, they should be nominated for: 

  • Awards within their institution, company, or laboratory;
  • Relevant provincial and national awards, (e.g., Early Researcher Award, available in Ontario) including those by a professional society or association, granting agency, or others; and
  • Sloan Research Fellowships: researchers in chemistry, molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, ocean sciences, physics, or a related field, are eligible for nomination. Sloan Fellowships are open only to faculty at U.S. or Canadian universitiesthe candidate must have received their PhD and must hold a tenure track position. 

Early career nominations offer opportunities for researchers to gain experience in preparing compelling nomination dossiers, and for institutions to demonstrate support to the nomineeThe first draft of a nomination is best composed by the nominee, whose expertise and knowledge allow for a dossier that showcases the contributions that are of greatest relevance to a particular award or prize. 

Researchers with six to twelve years of experience  

Nominations should be prepared for: 

  • Membership to a scholarly academy;
  • Relevant Canadian awards and prizes for recognition of a larger body of work, or for a landmark discovery or invention of significant impact on the research area, and on society in general;
  • Guggenheim Fellowshipsare offered for a wide range of fields, from poetry to mechanical engineeringGuggenheim fellows are often looked upon favourably by selection committees for other top international awards and prizes; and  
  • International awards and prizes within a researcher’s field of expertise.

Researchers with more than 12 years of experience 

Nominations for a variety of awards and prizes (from a more general perspective to those concentrated in particular sub-fields of a discipline) should be pursued nationally and internationally, and in parallel (e.g., Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, Wolf Prize, Nobel Prize).

Universities Canada