SFU COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH INITIATIVE AWARDS (CERi Awards)
The purpose of these awards is to provide recognition to SFU faculty members, graduate students, and community partners for outstanding community-engaged research that supports positive change.
Overview
SFU’s Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERi) recognizes community-engaged research in the following categories:
1. Emerging Community-Engaged Researcher Award
2. Community-Engaged Research Achievement Award
3. Community-Engaged Graduate Scholar Award
4. Community-Engaged Research Partner Award
CERi may elect to grant a single award [or multiple awards] in each category, or none, depending on the nominations received in a given year. Each awardee will receive a $1,500 cash prize to promote the impact and outcomes of their research or to support their community-engaged research activities at SFU or with CERi.
Criteria
The community-engaged research being recognized demonstrates alignment with CERi’s principles of participation, cooperation, social transformation, and knowledge translation. There should be evidence of beneficial impact or outcomes of the research in the community.
Eligibility
An individual can be nominated in one category per year. Previous recipients are not eligible to be nominated in the same category for which they previously received an award [unless it is for a different research project]. Current or past affiliates of CERi’s programs (Graduate Fellowships, Community-Engaged Research Fund, Community Scholars, Researchers-in-Residence) are eligible to apply. Staff and advisory board members of CERi are not eligible to apply.
Emerging Community-Engaged Researcher Award
This award is open to pre-tenure SFU faculty members with a contract or continuing appointment.
Community-Engaged Research Achievement Award
This award is open to tenured faculty at SFU.
Community-Engaged Graduate Scholar Award
This award is open to currently registered SFU graduate students (Master’s or PhD level), or those who completed their degree within the past year from the date of nomination.
Community-Engaged Partnership Award
This award is open to individuals working in non-profits and charities [throughout British Columbia] who led or participated in a research project with SFU.
Nomination Process
Self-applications or nominations from any member of SFU (faculty, staff, students) or a community partner are welcome, for a diverse pool of candidates with multiple approaches, perspectives and experience. Nominations will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of CERi Director(s), advisory board members, and internal or external experts as necessary to reflect the diversity of the research community. The committee will select its own Chair and its members will commit to continual learning and open discussion to mitigate bias. The committee will make its recommendations to the CERi Director(s), who will approve the awards and announce the award recipients.
Nomination Package
The following materials will comprise a nomination package:
1. Nomination form (required). This includes a description of the nominee’s community-engaged research and its wider impact in the community.
2. Letters of support (required). Two letters of support, one from an SFU faculty, student, or staff member, and one from a person outside of SFU who can comment on how the community has benefitted from the nominee’s research.
3. Supplemental materials (optional). Other evidence of outstanding community-engaged research, such as unsolicited testimonials, media articles, an abbreviated CV of the applicant/nominee, etc.
To nominate someone for the CERi Award:
- Assemble a complete nomination package in one PDF document
- Please name your documents “Your full name_Document name” and write “CER Award” in the email subject line and specify which award you’re applying for. For example “CER Award - Community-Engaged Graduate Scholar”
- Send the completed package by email to Joanna Habdank, Program Manager at SFU's Community-Engaged Research Initiative (joanna_habdank@sfu.ca).
Members of the SFU community (staff, faculty, and students), alumni, and community partners may submit nominations. (Self-nominations are also permitted.)
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