The Mary Gertrude l'Anson Fund
Terms of Reference
June 6, 1988
To request an official copy of this policy, contact:
The Office of the Governing Council
Room 106, Simcoe Hall
27 King's College Circle
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1A1
Phone: 416-978-6576
Fax: 416-978-8182
E-mail: governing.council@utoronto.ca
Website: http://www.utoronto.ca/govcncl/
Contents
5. Report to the Governing Council
The Mary Gertrude I'Anson Fund was established by the bequest of Mary Gertrude I'Anson of the residue of her estate to the Governors of the University of Toronto to establish a fund whose income was to be "for the use and purposes of the Connaught Medical Research Laboratories for medical research." The sale of the Connaught Laboratories in 1972 resulted in the decision of the Governing Council in 1974 to use the income from the Fund for support of medical research like that which had been conducted by the Connaught Medical Research Laboratories. The Governing Council, having reviewed several proposals, approved the use of income from the Fund, for a limited time, for support of medical research in areas of public health in the Division of Community Health in the Faculty of Medicine. The work of the Division of Community Health now being fully sustained by the Faculty of Medicine, the Governing Council of the University of Toronto hereby directs that the Fund shall be managed by the Connaught Committee of Governing Council as a fund whose income shall be used for the support of medical research in the University of Toronto.
There are no existing claims on future income from the Fund.
The purpose of the Mary Gertrude I'Anson Fund is to support medical research in the University community in the tradition and pattern of the research formerly performed by the University's Connaught Medical Research Laboratories. This purpose implies that the Fund's income shall support the application of professional expertise and resources to problems of public interest in medicine and health sciences, with the specific implication that support will be given for important research and development representing high merit or unusual potential in the public interest.
Awards may be made either to support the research of individuals or groups of scholars or to support the development of research programs, in accordance with priorities to be established by the Connaught Committee and with terms of reference as set out below. All applications will be subject to peer review. In addition, awards may be made for graduate fellowships. All applications for research support, and all appointments including academic appointments, must comply with current University policies.
i) I'Anson Multidisciplinary Research Grants
I'Anson Multidisciplinary Research Grants will permit primarily the initiation of distinctive new research projects or programs or the further development of meritorious ongoing multidisciplinary research conducted by members of the University's medical community. These grants are intended to stimulate, encourage and facilitate collaborative or multidisciplinary medical research between basic and clinical sciences and to develop linkages among disciplines involved in medical research. Awards will be made only for proposals judged by peer evaluation to have significant merit. In accordance with the University's General Objectives and with the traditions established by the Connaught Laboratories and in keeping with the interdependent nature of medical research, it is expected that applications to the Fund will involve the coordination of University resources and the interaction of University staff members with each other in the medical and health sciences.
The number of new grants in this category in any year is likely to be very few and is in any case to be limited by the requirements for excellence and a potential which is in the public interest. Awards will be made as to groups headed by a coordinating investigator. Applications will require the endorsement of the Dean for any division in which staff members hold appointments. (Staff members who may wish to submit a proposal should ensure that the Dean knows of the commitment or endorsement of the chairmen of any departments represented in the single proposal.) Funds in this granting category may not be used to supplement salaries but may, in exceptional circumstances, provide for released time. The term of I'Anson Multidisciplinary Research Grants shall be for a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years. Recipients of I'Anson Multidisciplinary Research Grants must submit annual progress reports.
Final decisions as to eligibility and awards in this category shall be made by the Connaught Committee, which may receive advice from the I'Anson Fund Advisory Panel. (See "Management of the Fund" below.)
ii) I'Anson Fund Research Development Grants
The purpose of grants in this category is to develop or to assist to develop the potential for research in specific departments or other medical research units or groupings in the University. This program may support all normal direct costs of research, and may include the early recruitment of staff who may ultimately be appointed to regular academic positions, and appointment of distinguished visiting professors. Departments or other units or research groupings, on a corporate initiative or the initiative of individuals within them, may propose a submission for developing and realizing a potential for research consistent with the purposes of the I'Anson Fund. Prospective submissions will be prepared with the advice of the Office of the Vice-President, Research. In order to ensure the most effective contribution to achievement of the objectives of the University and of the respective unit or division, applications for a grant in this category must be approved by the Office of the Vice-President and Provost.
The detailed proposal will be subject to extensive peer review on grounds of scientific merit, and for potential for research development which can be sustained and which will achieve the purpose of the Fund. The Connaught Committee may also receive advice on the merit of the proposal as well as on the priority for the development from its I'Anson Fund Advisory Panel (see "Management of the Fund" below), but the final decisions as to eligibility and awards in this category shall be made by the Connaught Committee.
iii) I'Anson Graduate Fellowships
From time to time, upon advice from the I'Anson Fund Advisory Panel (see "Management of the Fund" below), the Connaught Committee may allocate a portion of the annual income from the Fund to permit the award of I'Anson Graduate Fellowships in medical research. No more than ten such awards would be made in any one year. Divisions or departments in which I'Anson Graduate Fellowships are to be held are expected to ensure that the Fellowship holder is actively engaged in medical research.
The Mary Gertrude I'Anson Fund will be administered by the Connaught Committee as a discrete fund for medical research whose purposes are similar to but not identical with those of the Connaught Fund. For the purpose of maintaining and preserving the identity of the I'Anson Fund, the President, in consultation with the Chairman of the Governing Council, will establish a six-member panel of advisors, the I'Anson Fund Advisory Panel, to function as a subcommittee of the Connaught Committee. The I'Anson Fund Advisory Panel should include at least two, but not more than four, persons appointed from the University's medical research community. The I'Anson Fund Advisory Panel will have as its primary responsibility the responsibility to advise the Connaught Committee on priorities for the allocation of any I'Anson Fund development funding, as well as to advise the Committee as to the appropriate balance of support to be allocated in either of the designated categories of grants. The Panel's secondary responsiblities may include evaluation and recommendations for specific awards (subsequent to full peer review), any recommendations for procedural changes, and an annual report on the effectiveness of the I'Anson Fund's support of research for the use of the Connaught Committee.
The Connaught Committee will be fully responsible for the financial management of the Fund and for all final decisions on priorities and I'Anson awards. The Committee may capitalize unspent income upon completion of a financial year. The Connaught Committee will establish procedures for ensuring rigorous peer review of applications to the I'Anson Fund which are consistent with the Committee's already established procedures as well as with the discrete purposes of the I'Anson Fund.
5. Report to the Governing Council
The President, on behalf of the Connaught Committee, shall report annually to the Governing Council on the following:
i) The capital value of the Fund, changes from the previous year, and the income received from the Fund.
ii) Proposed levels and balance between categories of support, thereby providing the Governing Council with the opportunity to comment on the general effectiveness of I'Anson programs and the purposes to which the support is being directed. It is not Governing Council's responsibility to consider individual awards, but Council should annually have the opportunity to advise the Connaught Committee regarding the areas of support to which I'Anson income should be devoted in the forthcoming year.
iii) Summary of grants made during the previous year, including a statement of commitments assumed for future years.
iv) Any proposals for changes in the terms of reference.
