Guidelines

A. Introduction

The objective of the Engineering Endowment Fund, which was established in 1989, is to support the pursuit of excellence in education, research and public service in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba. Monies available from earnings of the Fund will be used to support activities and projects which are included in Section C of this document.

B. Guidelines and Procedures for the Annual Competition

  1. The call for proposals shall be widely circulated in the Faculty of Engineering at a date which allows adequate time to prepare proposals. Included in the information package shall be: the types of activities and projects supported and criteria for assessing proposals (Section C of this document); the amount of funds available for disbursement; and the deadline date by which proposals must be received. Matching funds are NOT necessary to have a proposal approved for funding.
  2. Each proposal shall be submitted on the form provided on the EEF web site.
  3. Proposals shall be distributed to the Advisory Committee members in sufficient time to allow careful assessment and ranking of the received proposals. A sample review form for assessing proposals is included in Section E of this document.
  4. Competitions are open to academic and support staff members, undergraduate and graduate, and alumni of the Faculty of Engineering. Other groups will be considered by the committee based on the applicability of the proposal to the Faculty of Engineering
  5. In cases where a member of the committee has submitted an application, he or she must withdraw from the meeting during the consideration and decision procedure. The member upon return will be informed that the debate on his or her proposal is closed.
  6. If a member has a conflict of interest or has a perceived conflict of interest for a proposal, he/she should notify the chair of the committee prior to a meeting. He/she must be absent during the discussion of the proposal in question. If such notification has not been given, any member of the committee may raise the issue of a real or perceived conflict of interest in regard to any member of the Committee, including the member raising the issue. The Committee shall discuss the issue and decide whether it would be advisable or necessary for the member to be absent for the item to be discussed.

C. Types of Projects Supported and Guidelines for the Allocation of Engineering Endowment Funds

The list below indicates the types of activities and projects that may be supported by the Engineering Endowment Fund. The list is neither exhaustive nor restrictive. The fund is not intended to be used for activities or projects that would normally be funded by the operating or capital budgets of the Faculty of Engineering. It is the Committee's responsibility to rank the received proposals on the basis of feasibility, practicality and necessity.

The table below gives guidelines on the allocation, by area, of funding. It is understood that in any given year, there may be deviations from the percentages shown.

 

Area For Funding Allocation %

Research and Scholarly Activities

  1. Support for invited speakers.
  2. Support for visiting researchers.
  3. Partial support for "Chairs" in special fields.
  4. Partial support for facilities and equipment.
 10

Equipment

In order to better fund the equipment needs of the departments and Faculty of Engineering, laboratory equipment upgrades from the Engineering Endowment Fund will be funded through a priority list.  The primary focus is to be on teaching laboratories, especially for undergraduate students, but other equipment may be funded if it is important to accreditation or innovation in Faculty of Engineering.  In each year the Dean of Engineering will receive notification of the amount of interest available from the Engineering Endowment Fund, the Dean will select an amount not greater than 50% of the interest to be considered for use in laboratory upgrades.  The committee will determine which equipment to support from the priority list.  Funds not used for upgrades will be available for the competition.  The priority list must include sufficient information for the committee to determine what items to support.  The information should include but is not limited to:  current equipment that the new equipment is to replace, number of students that will benefit, and classes in which it will be used.  The goal of the priority list is to eventually fully upgrade all teaching laboratories to modern equipment and then sustain that renewal.

 <=50

Scholarships & Bursaries

The committee has committed to funding a number of scholarships and bursaries.  The amounts awarded through this mechanism are reviewed annually.  Additional scholarships and bursaries may be added through proposals supplied to the committee outside of the competition.  This is because scholarship and bursary funding is ongoing and requires separate consideration.  Scholarships and bursaries must remain at a sustainable level that does not impact the ability of the committee to fund competitions and equipment.

  

Student Activities & Facilities

  1. Funds for undergraduate student projects.
  2. Funds for field trips.
  3. Enhancement of technical societies and facilities.
 25

Equipement & Facilities

Classroom enhancement, particularly if this involves

  1. the possible development of new funding sources.
  2. Enhancement of laboratory instructional equipment.
  3. Innovative laboratory equipment
 25

Library

  1. Special facilities
  2. Special acquisitions.
 5

Outreach

  1. Presentations to high schools, service clubs, etc.
  2. Orientation of Engineering students or presentations to potential future engineering students
 10

D. Guidelines for Assessing Proposals

It is the Committee's responsibility to rank the received proposals on the basis of feasibility,
practicality and necessity, using the form available on the EEF web site, and the following
guidelines:

  1. The proposal's relevance to the categories suitable for funding.

  2. Experience of the applicant(s).

    All applicants should demonstrate that they have the relevant experience and commitment to bring the project to completion.

  3. Excellence of the proposal.

    Aspects that will be considered include:

    1. A clearly written proposal, including a clear statement of objectives.
    2. Inclusion of a statement of activities for which funds are sought, and the personnel involved.
    3. Inclusion of a schedule of activities, completion date of project, etc.
    4. Inclusion of a detailed budget, itemizing proposed expenditure of funds.
    5. Feasibility in terms of budget, schedule, personnel and technical content.
    6. The value/benefit/recognition expected to accrue to students, staff, the Faculty, the University, etc.

  4. The need for funds.

    Aspects that will be considered include:

    1. The need for the project.
    2. Appropriateness of the budget to the stated objectives and activities.
    3. Special costs - travel, testing costs, materials, etc.