Indigenous CREATE is a program funded by the NSERC CREATE (Collaborative Research and Training Experience) Grant. Indigenous CREATE is hosted at the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, at the University of Manitoba, in collaboration with Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and University College of the North in Thompson and The Pas, Manitoba.
The Indigenous CREATE program intends to create training opportunities for students who want to better understand ongoing changes in the environment by participating in research projects that aim to understand the implications of a diversity of stressors, including climate change, hydropower, mining, and wastewater. This program is specifically aimed at finding ways that serve the learning and employability needs of Indigenous trainees; therefore, the research conducted in this program will be holistic in approach and focus on both the environment and community wellbeing, within the environmental sector (natural resources, energy, and the environment).
Reference:
Bartlett, C., Marshall, M., & A Marshall. (2012). Two-eyed seeing and other lessons learned within a co-learning journey of bringing together Indigenous and mainstream knowledge and ways of knowing. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. (2) 331–340.
“The CREATE program is designed to improve the training and mentoring environment for the Canadian researchers of tomorrow by improving training in areas such as professional skills, communication and collaboration, as well as by providing mentoring and experience relevant to both academic and non-academic research environments. Initiatives do not necessarily have to involve the development of new professional skills training courses but can take advantage of existing training (offered at the university, provincially or by other organizations such as Mitacs). The CREATE program promotes and furthers the development of new researchers within the NSE disciplines, or at the interdisciplinary frontier between the NSE and the areas covered under the umbrella of the two other federal granting agencies—the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)—if, by combining the strengths of the various disciplines, a greater impact is achieved for the trainees. Where appropriate, proposed initiatives could also encourage interaction with the users of research and future employers of the trainees or contribute to providing additional opportunities for students to participate in exchanges at the national or international level. The training initiative should be focused on providing a value-added experience to the university training environment to better prepare research trainees for their future careers in industry, government or academia.”
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The Indigenous CREATE program is for undergraduate and graduate Indigenous students interested in gaining research experience and training opportunities in NSE (Natural Science and Engineering) in the environmental sector.
International undergraduate and graduate students interested in working with Indigenous communities on environmental research projects, based on two-eyed seeing research approaches, are also eligible to apply for funding.
For more information about eligibility and how to apply, please visit the “Program Information” page, and the “Apply for Funding” page.
The funding opportunities provided through the Indigenous CREATE program are intended for Indigenous students working in the environmental sector and international students who are doing community-led research in the environmental sector. Students who are interested in pursuing (or already are pursuing) research that aligns with our research objectives will be considered for funding through this program. To see a list of the research objectives, please visit the “Research Objectives” Page.
Applicants will be chosen by the Indigenous CREATE Research Evaluation Committee. Due to the requirements of our funding source, 80% of students accepted will be from NSE (Natural Science and Engineering) and 20% will be from SSH (Social Science and Humanities) fields. The committee will choose applicants based on certain criteria.
For more information, please visit the Selection Process page.