Canada Research Chair

Canada Research Chair (CRC) is a title given to select Canadian university research professors by the Canada Research Chairs Program. As of 2022, there were 2,285 supported research professorships (2000 regular ones, and 285 special appointments). Seventy Canadian universities are participating in the program.

Since CRC title holders are considered experts in their field, the news media often requests chair holders to comment on emerging topics. In 2016, an independent study found that holding a CRC title has a significant positive effect on scientific performance .

Program goals The Canada Research Chair program was established in 2000 as a part of the Government of Canada wanting to promote research and development excellence in Canadian post-secondary educational institutions. Through the Canada Research Chair program, $311 million is spent annually to attract and retain outstanding scholars and scientists.

The CRC program is part of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development . The program supports chair holders in achieving research excellence in natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences, improve Canada's depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen the country's international competitiveness, and train personnel through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers' work.

Types of chairs There are two types of Canada Research Chair: Tier 1 Chairs – tenable for seven years and renewable once (and twice in exceptional circumstances), are for outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. Nominees for Tier 1 positions are full professors or associate professors who are expected to be promoted to the full professor level within one or two years of the nomination (or, if coming from outside the academic sector, nominees must possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels by the nominating university). For each Tier 1 Chair, the university receives $200,000 annually for seven years. Tier 2 Chairs – tenable for five years and renewable once, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. Nominees for Tier 2 positions are assistant or associate professors (or they possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels by the nominating university). For each Tier 2 Chair, the university receives $100,000 annually for five years.

The money received for each chair can be used to add to the chair's salary, to help pay for the chair's existing salary, or to fund research; the proportion allocated to each category varies by university.

Chair allocations The number of CRCs allocated to a university is proportional to the amount of research grant funding that university has received in the three years prior to the year of the allocation. Grant funding must originate from the three federal granting agencies (NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC).

Of the total 2000 Chairs, 1880 are regular allocations, distributed as follows: 733 Chairs (39 per cent) for research in natural sciences and engineering; 733 Chairs (39 per cent) for research in health sciences; 414 Chairs (22 per cent) for research in social sciences and humanities.

The program sets aside a special allocation of 120 Chairs for universities that have received one per cent or less of the total funding paid out by the three federal granting agencies over the preceding three years.

Roughly 66% of Chairs are allocated to member institutions of the U15, a group of the top research-intensive universities in Canada.

      Indicates membership in the U15

Institution Province # of Chairholders University of Toronto Ontario 238 University of British Columbia British Columbia 167 McGill University Québec 147 Université de Montréal Québec 98 University of Alberta Alberta 111 University of Calgary Alberta 77 Université Laval Québec 74 McMaster University Ontario 69 University of Western Ontario Ontario 64 Queen's University Ontario 44 University of Manitoba Manitoba 46 University of Ottawa Ontario 64 University of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan 29 University of Waterloo Ontario 55 Dalhousie University Nova Scotia 40 Acadia University Nova Scotia 3 Algoma University Ontario 1 Athabasca University Alberta 2 Bishop's University Québec 5 Brandon University Manitoba 5 British Columbia Institute of Technology British Columbia 3 Brock University Ontario 13 Cape Breton University Nova Scotia 2 Carleton University Ontario 32 Concordia University Québec 23 Concordia University College of Alberta Alberta 1 École de technologie supérieure Québec 7 Emily Carr University of Art and Design British Columbia 3 HEC Montréal Québec 6 Institut national de la recherche scientifique Québec 13 Kwantlen Polytechnic University British Columbia 1 Lakehead University Ontario 12 Laurentian University Ontario 10MacEwan UniversityAlberta4 Memorial University of Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador 13 Mount Allison University New Brunswick 4 Mount Royal University Alberta 1 Mount Saint Vincent University Nova Scotia 4 Nipissing University Ontario 4 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design Nova Scotia 2 OCAD University Ontario 1 Polytechnique Montréal Québec 26 Royal Military College of Canada Ontario 5 Royal Roads University British Columbia 4 Toronto Metropolitan UniversityOntario 11 Saint Mary's University Nova Scotia 7 Simon Fraser University British Columbia 37 St. Francis Xavier University Nova Scotia 5 St. Thomas University New Brunswick 4 The King's University Alberta 2 Thompson Rivers University British Columbia 6 Trent University Ontario 8 Trinity Western University British Columbia 2 Université de Moncton New Brunswick 5 Université de Saint-Boniface Manitoba 1 Université de Sherbrooke Québec 38Université TÉLUQ (Télé-université, Université du Québec)Québec 1 Université du Québec à Montréal Québec 23 Université du Québec en Outaouais Québec 1 University of Guelph Ontario 34 University of Lethbridge Alberta 9 University of New Brunswick New Brunswick 14 University of Northern British Columbia British Columbia 8 University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ontario 5 University of Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island 7 University of Regina Saskatchewan 10 University of Victoria British Columbia 41 University of Windsor Ontario 14 University of Winnipeg Manitoba 6 Vancouver Island University British Columbia 4 Wilfrid Laurier University Ontario 9 York University Ontario 24

List of Canada Research Chairs

The Canada Research Chairs Program maintains an online database of profiles of each chair holder, which include detailed descriptions of each of their research projects.

Canada Research Chairs insignia On March 27, 2008, the Government of Canada's Ministry of Industry, as well as the presidents of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research presented each chair holder with a Canada Research Chair insignia at a national celebration of the program held at the Université du Québec en Outaouais in Gatineau, Quebec. The lapel pin, made of sterling silver, symbolizes the pursuit of knowledge and research excellence and is available exclusively to chair holders.

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