The establishment of this award aligns with the strategic directions of Carleton’s Strategic Integrated Plan and responds to a specific recommendation in Carleton’s new EDI Action Plan, which outlines Carleton’s commitment to support, fund and disseminate research that advances EDI (Strategic Action 3).
Two student awards, one undergraduate and one graduate, are available, each valued at $10,000. Award amounts include 4% vacation pay. The funded award period is from May 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025.
Eligible projects will use EDI-informed considerations and reflect upon diversity and identity in substantial or significant ways.
Each research proposal must be supported by a separate statement from the faculty member who will be supervising the project. Faculty members must be full-time instructors or research faculty. Student proposals should be distinct from their supervisors’ ongoing research such that the student is able to pursue a topic of particular interest to them (e.g., the research proposal could explore new issues/topics of interest to them within existing research labs/groups). Students must also submit their resume, an academic audit and a one-page cover page along with their research proposal.
In Fall 2025, students will be expected to give a brief presentation of the research they undertook, as well as submit a 500-word summary of their research that will be posted on the Provost’s website. Students agree to be photographed to showcase their work to the community.
To be eligible, undergraduate students must have completed at least second year of their undergraduate program, have a minimum GPA of 9.0, and be taking a program and/or a major at Carleton University. Undergraduate students are eligible for funding only in one Faculty. Similarly, students may not hold a CUROP Award and an EDI Research Award during the same period. Students graduating in June are eligible for this program. Students can only hold this award once during their undergraduate degree. The expectation is that the research project undertaken will constitute a full-time position during the summer term. Students may not participate in a co-op program at the same time as the summer EDI research.
Graduate students should have a GPA of 9.0.
Applications will be due on Friday, March 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Please ensure that your application materials are submitted online by the deadline. A letter of support from your supervising faculty indicating their willingness to supervise the project must also be submitted directly by the faculty member.
Please read the details below for specific information about the necessary components for a complete application. If you have any questions or run into any challenges with submitting your application, please contact the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities at equity@carleton.ca.
Please submit the following documents for your application to be considered complete:
A letter of support from supervising faculty indicating their willingness to supervise the project submitted by the supervisor by Friday, March 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
Project supervisors, please upload a letter of support that clearly outlines the following:
Through the removal of barriers and provision of appropriate supports, the principle of equity refers to fair access to opportunity and services for all, recognizing that members come to the university with relative advantages and disadvantages. Equity considerations extend beyond issues of legal human rights compliance, take up issues of demographic representation and underrepresentation, and examine questions of power and resource allocation.
Diversity describes the representation of various demographic segments and dimensions of identity within a population. In this sense, diversity includes the presence of intersectional identities, or the myriad ways in which individuals identify, live through and experience multiple dimensions of difference simultaneously.
The ongoing exercise of ensuring the university values and proactively cultivates difference so that every member can fulfil their potential and bring their whole selves in service of articulated common goals. While inclusion involves and mutually benefits every member of the university, its successful operation is predicated on the fulfilment of human rights and equity objectives.