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Research Grant

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Application Submissions Closed
Past Grant Recipients

Submission Deadline: The 2026 CAAL-CBPA Research Grant is now closed.


The recipient of the 2026 Grant will be notified in mid-March. Funds will be disbursed to the lead applicant's institutional grant office or equivalent as a full lump sum in late March.

Purpose

The CAAL-CBPA Research Grant is intended to encourage evidence-based research in the region by staff and librarians at member libraries.


This Grant is intended to help achieve the following objectives:


  • Encourage and support new or established librarians and staff working in academic libraries who are undertaking, or propose to undertake, research with the intent to share results through publication and/or conference presentations;
  • Promote research that is relevant to the goals and objectives of and its member libraries; and
  • Promote research that is evidence-based.

Grant Amount

One research grant of up to $1,000 may be awarded annually, when merited.

Eligibility Criteria

At least one of the applicants must be a current, permanent employee of a CAAL-CBPA member library and either be engaged in, or proposing, a research effort. Limited term employees are welcome to apply, but due to the logistics for disbursement of the Grant, they must have a co-applicant who is a permanent employee of a CAAL-CBPA member institution.

Ineligible Expenses

  • Administrative overhead costs.
  • Costs for conferences and conference travel.
  • Author Processing Charges (APCs) to publish the results of the research.
  • Paying salaries for any individual already employed by the post-secondary institution. Exceptions are made for anyone who will be taking release time and will experience a reduction in income. It is also possible to pay individuals for a fixed period of time where they are not making their usual income (e.g., in the case where an individual does not make their income during the summer months, it is permissible to pay them for work during those summer months).

AI Use in Research Project

CAAL-CBPA expects the following from all CAAL-CBPA Research Grant Projects:


  • The use of AI in a proposed project must adhere to any institutional policies from the applicant’s affiliated institution. For projects that are a cross-institutional collaboration, the proposed project must adhere to all institutional policies.
  • Applicants must complete the AI Use section of the Grant application and describe the tools and nature of the use of AI.
  • Should there be a change in the plans for the use of AI during the project, successful Grant recipients must get all changes approved by the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director.

The Research Grant Committee reserves the right to disqualify any applications which do not adhere to institutional policies.


When developing their proposed projects, we ask that applicants consider the potential future implications of their use of AI with respect to copyright law. Right now, it is unknown how AI drafted works will be treated under copyright law. It is possible, given that AI is the instrument generating content, that AI-generated content will not be subject to copyright law. Should this be the case, authors will not retain their copyright and therefore be unable to openly license their work. In the United States, authors have not been able to register copyright for any content generated by AI. Moreover, there are ongoing cases concerning certain generative AI tools, since these tools have been trained on datasets that were obtained by breaking copyright law. Please use caution when considering how you might be using AI in your work and which tools you use.

Applicants are urged to seek review and advice from colleagues, directors, and/or friends before submitting proposals. The Committee reserves the right to reject proposals that do not adhere to the specifications in this document.

  • A description of the research or development project identifying methodology and design or development process.
  • The duration of the project, including a project timetable.
  • A detailed assessment of costs for the project.
  • An assessment of the potential utility of research results to the CAAL-CBPA academic library community.
  • An assessment of the expected impact of the research project.
  • An indication of how the results of the research project will be disseminated.
  • A statement of other grants/awards received.
  • Submission of a current Curriculum Vitae for each applicant.
  • Completion of the AI disclosure if AI is to be used in any part of the project.
  • Completion of the required forms.
  • Research must commence in the year for which the grant is awarded;
  • The CAAL-CBPA Executive Director ensures announcements of the award go to the various organizations for publication. Announcements are placed on the CAAL-CBPA website, CAAL-CBPA General listserv, APLA listserv, and any network deemed appropriate;
  • Grant funds are disbursed in mid-March of each year. Grant cheques will be issued to the applicant’s institutional Grants Office unless otherwise indicated. The grant money will be sent as one lump sum to a single CAAL-CBPA institution, so if multiple CAAL-CBPA institutions are represented in the application, the applicants will designate to which institution the money is to be sent. The CAAL-CBPA Executive Director will coordinate this process once the award has been announced;
  • The research project will be compliant with all institutional policies;
  • Semi-annual progress reports will be submitted to the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director.
  • A final report will be submitted to the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director within two months of the completion of the project or two years after receiving the Grant, whichever is the shorter time period;
  • The Grant must be acknowledged in publications and presentations emanating from the research or development accomplished through the CAAL-CBPA Research Grant; and
  • Past award winners may be asked to sit on the CAAL-CBPA Research Grant Committee to adjudicate future submissions.

Proposals will be adjudicated by the CAAL-CBPA Research Grant Committee. This Committee is composed of the CAAL-CBPA Past Chair, a CAAL-CBPA Member-at-Large, and a previous winner.


The Committee will assess all proposals using a single-blind approach. This means that the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director will know the identities of individuals submitting proposals, but during the review process, the members of the Committee will not.


Research which proposes solutions to practical questions, as well as projects which involve structured evidence-based research, are invited. Identification of projects of regional interest, which can prove useful in developing research partnerships between practitioners, educators and students, are also encouraged.

Proposals for funding are judged on:


  • Originality or importance of research or project;
  • Relevance of the research or project to the goals and objectives of CAAL-CBPA libraries;
  • Appropriateness of the proposed research method and development process;
  • Details of the planned oversight and management of the project;
  • Expected impact of the research;
  • Timeliness of the research (must be completed in less than two years); and
  • Comprehensiveness of the application.