Public announcement of Canada Excellence Research Chair appointments
When can chairholders and institutions publicly announce Canada Excellence Research Chairs appointment?
In keeping with standard Government of Canada practice, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) appointments cannot be released to the media or formally announced by institutions or chairholders until the Government of Canada has made its official public announcement. Public announcements are held following each CERC competition and are done in collaboration with institutions to gain maximum media exposure for all involved. Prior to the official public announcement, new CERC appointments are confidential and should not be announced to the public in any form.
Note: To ensure that this policy does not prevent the chairholder from meeting their research objectives, if there is a lag between the effective start date of their CERC appointment and the public announcement they may use their title informally (e.g., when recruiting students, on business cards, at conferences, on their CV, when applying for other research funding, on their personal website, etc.) during such time.
When can institutions hold public announcements?
Institutions may only schedule a public announcement or event after the Government of Canada's official public announcement.
Institutions should inform communications@chairs-chaires.gc.ca of their plans for CERC chairholder-related announcements and events.
Does a Government of Canada representative need to be present at a public announcement held at an institution?
A Government of Canada representative should be invited to public funding announcements and other major CERC program-related institution events.
Before inviting Government of Canada representatives to an event, contact communications@chairs-chaires.gc.ca.
The likelihood of securing a local member of Parliament or minister to attend your event is greatly increased if the event is held when the House of Commons is not sitting.
Chairholder titles
When can chairholders use their chairholder title?
In keeping with standard Government of Canada practice, information about the appointment of chairholders cannot be released to the media or formally announced until the Government of Canada has made its official public announcement. See Public announcement of Canada Excellence Research Chair appointments above for more information.
The title of each chairholder must include the term “Canada Excellence Research Chair,” more specifically, “Canada Excellence Research Chair in (area of research).” The title should not use symbols or short forms (e.g., “and” instead of “&”). Where possible, it should be simple and short enough for the media and public to understand and use.
Chairholders may use their title from the effective date of their appointment for the duration of the chairholder’s appointment. Chairholders may “informally” use their titles before official announcements in certain cases, including when recruiting students, on business cards, at conferences, on their CVs, when applying for research funding, on their personal websites, etc.
Once a chairholder’s term has ended, they may be referred to as a “Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate” or as “Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in (their previous title).”
What is the benefit of using chairholder titles?
By making a conscious and continuous effort to use chairholder titles, chairholders promote both their reputation as world-class researchers and the value of the CERC program.
Can a chairholder title be changed?
Yes, it is possible to make a change to chairholder titles. Title change requests can be submitted by email by the chairholder or the institution. If submitted by the chairholder, the institution must be included on the email request.
To make a chairholder title change, contact information@cerc.gc.ca to allow the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) team to check for possible duplication and confirm that the title is in line with title guidelines. If a translation of the title is already available, include it in the email. If a translation of the title is not yet available, TIPS will translate it.
If a chairholder is jointly funded, they should put the other funding partner's name first followed by “Canada Excellence Research Chair” to keep the integrity of the title.
Publications, presentations, conferences and websites
The agencies and institutions are responsible for informing the Canadian public and stakeholders of who receives CERC funds, the type of research that will be conducted, and how funds are administered.
Institutions should make every effort to ensure chairholders acknowledge the support of the CERC program. Chairholders must use their chairholder title and acknowledge the CERC program in all professional communications, publications arising from the supported research, and conference or congress materials, and on equipment and facilities purchased and/or developed with CERC funds.
Chairholders are expected to identify themselves as Canada Excellence Research Chairs and acknowledge the contribution of the CERC program in their research as follows:
“This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program.”
Chairholders invited to speak publicly should ensure they are identified as a Canada Excellence Research Chair in official event documentation (such as programs, pamphlets, advertisements, etc.). If the speech’s topic lends itself to it, we ask that chairholders mention they are a Canada Excellence Research Chair. We also ask that they describe how the Chair benefits their research by explaining its impact on the research trainees, postdoctoral researchers and other highly qualified personnel who work with them.
If a chairholder has their own website, they should refer to their Canada Excellence Research Chair title on their website, and hyperlink this mention to the CERC website. We also ask that any reference on their institution’s website to their role as a Canada Excellence Research Chair include a link to the CERC website.
Institutions should provide a link to the CERC website on both their institution’s website and any electronic public relations materials, including new releases, email and newsletters. Doing this reinforces the partnership between the program and institutions.
Media, social media and publicity
We encourage chairholders to identify themselves in media interviews as the "Canada Excellence Research Chair in (research discipline) at (name of institution)" and to include their official chairholder title in their publications (including op-eds, articles, etc.).
We also encourage chairholders and institutions to interact with the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) on social media, when relevant, so that we can engage with and share interesting content that helps demonstrate the impact of chairholders’ research:
Institutions’ communications offices are also encouraged to include chairholder titles in any documents issued to the media that refer to the chairholder’s research.
Although not a requirement, we welcome materials on chairholder-related news and events and the media coverage they generate. Send them to communications@chairs-chaires.gc.ca.
Visual elements
In your communications products (presentations, hand-outs, etc.), you are required to use the Government of Canada logo and an acknowledgement message. Neither should be used in isolation.
Download the Government of Canada logo, right-click on the logo and select “Copy Image.” Paste the logo where it should appear, and add the following statements:
“This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program.”
For example, depending on which statement you use, it should appear as:
This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program.
For guidelines on using the Government of Canada logo, visit Official Symbols on www.canada.ca.
Canada Excellence Research Chair laureates
At the end of a chairholder’s appointment, their chairholder title will transition to the title of “Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate.” They may be referred to as a “Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate” or as “Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in (their previous title).” TIPS will contact chairholders and their institutions to discuss communications about the transition to CERC Laureate.