Wall Research Awards (Faculty)

Wall Research Awards (Faculty) are available annually to UBC faculty members through the Peter Wall Legacy Fund, an endowment established by Peter Wall, to support research excellence at UBC and invest in those who will help move BC and the world forward.

These awards focus on enabling good future work, rather than as rewards for past work, and are intended to support a range of scholars at different career stages. Projects supported by these awards may be exploratory or derived from established programs of inquiry.

Wall Research Awards for tenured and tenure-track faculty members are available for the following streams:

• Team awards of up to $200,000, awarded to a group of three to five faculty members over a maximum term of up to three years
• Individual awards of up to $80,000 over a maximum term of up to three years.

Unless specifically indicated otherwise, all information on this page pertains to both individual and team awards.

Applications for the 2025 competition are now open .

Key Dates

NOI opens: January 23, 2025
NOI deadline: February 24, 2025
The NOI is not adjudicated, but is required in order to submit a full application

Full application deadline: April 25, 2025

Information sessions: February 10 &12, 2025
Download presentation slides

On this page

• Eligibility
• Application Process
• Evaluation Criteria
• Additional Information
• Timeline
• FAQs
• 2024 Wall Research Awards Recipients

 “Colleagues and I have been exploring ideas that integrate concepts from civil engineering, health and cognitive psychology, and exercise science to understand comfort during active transport, without identifying a funding mechanism for this unusual mix of disciplines. Then, along came the Wall Legacy Awards! Through these awards, we—and all the other researchers and innovators—will have the opportunity to advance ideas that intersect diverse research fields to substantially advance sustainability.”

– Dr. Eli Puterman

All UBC tenured and tenure-track faculty, from both campuses, are eligible to apply. For Wall Research Awards (Team Faculty Awards), all co-applicants must be tenured / tenure-track UBC faculty. Individuals are eligible to apply to hold a maximum of two concurrent Wall Research Awards, but can be the primary applicant on only one. (i.e., the primary applicant of an individual award and a co-applicant on a team award; a primary applicant on one team award and a co-applicant on another team award; or a co-applicant on two team awards.)

Team Faculty Awards must include three to five UBC faculty (i.e., one primary applicant and 2 to 4 co-applicants). Early- and mid-career faculty are strongly encouraged to apply. Scholars from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. 

To apply for a Wall Research Award, applicants must log in to VPRI’s online application system UBC Research + Innovation Apply using their campus wide login (CWL), and follow the instructions provided. Once the full application has been initiated, the applicant may invite others with a CWL to contribute (e.g., co-applicants, administrators, grant facilitators, etc.) using the “add collaborator” button located in the left side block. For team awards, one applicant must be designated as the primary applicant. Applications can be saved and completed at a later date before final submission and can be downloaded as a PDF at any time. Each section must be marked as complete before the application can be submitted.  

Applications should include the following components (full details are available in UBC Research + Innovation Apply): 

• Notice of Intent (NOI) due February 24, 2025.
  (The NOI is not adjudicated, but is required in order to submit a full application. Information within the NOI is used for administrative purposes, such as reviewer recruitment.)
• Applicant Information 
• Research Proposal (3 pages) 
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) (200 words) 
• Additional Criteria; applicants must choose 3 of the 5 criteria below to address (200 words each) 
  • Interdisciplinarity 
  • Multi-sectoral research 
  • Geographic reach
  • Indigenous engagement 
  • Catalysis of research 
• Role of team members (for Team awards only) (300 words) 
• Budget and budget justification  

A completed and signed Research Project Information Form (RPIF) must be uploaded as part of the application. 

To be eligible for peer review, the proposed research must: 

• Be principally related to British Columbia, or if addressing another jurisdiction, be applicable to approaches in British Columbia
• Align with one or more of the Wall Legacy Fund areas of interest

The following assessment criteria will be used: 

Research Proposal (60%) 

• The research proposal provides a distinct purpose and clear, attainable objectives with relevant and well-defined methodology and describes the potential impact of the research
• Includes a clear plan of how the research project will involve trainees, and benefit their training and career advancement  
• The relevant expertise needed to do this work is present, or there is a feasible plan in place for its recruitment 
• A plan for how the outputs of the work will be disseminated to both academics, and other audiences is described 

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (10%) 

• The application illustrates how the research is informed by, and will contribute to, the promotion of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in academia and/or society.

Additional Criteria (choose three of the five criteria to address): 

The Wall Research Awards recognize that high-quality research comes in various forms. Thus, applicants must choose three of the five additional criteria below that best align with and showcase their work.

Interdisciplinarity (10%) 

• The application describes what the “added value” of the interdisciplinary approach is 
• The perspectives of all relevant disciplines have been considered in the development of the proposed project, and the required expertise is available 

Multi-sectoral research (10%) 

• The proposed research demonstrates strong synergy among participants from different sectors 
• The combination of participants is justified and makes it likely that planned outcomes will be achieved 

Geographic reach (10%) 

• Potential impact in jurisdictions beyond BC is described 
• Lessons for, or impact on, other jurisdictions is described 

Indigenous engagement (10%) 

• Engagement and reciprocity with First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Peoples is present and clearly described 
• Considerations addressing Indigenous research have been incorporated into the methodological approach and/or theoretical framework of the project 

Research catalysis (10%) 

• The impact on long term research plans is clearly described 
• The benefit of proposed high-risk work on longer-term research is outlined 

REPORTING

Recipients are required to submit a final report to the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation no later than six (6) months following the end of the award term that includes the following:  

• Brief summaries describing the following:
  •  the work conducted during the term of the award
• • trainees involved in the research
• • how the work has been disseminated
• • how the work supported EDI 
  • statements addressing performance against each of the 3 applicant-selected criteria from the original proposal

A report template will be provided to recipients. 

PUBLICITY

Recipients of Wall Research Awards may be asked to participate in media events and other proceedings that recognize their achievement and bring awareness to the Wall Legacy Fund at UBC. 

Timeline