ASII Project Development 2023-24 (Tier-1)

Programme is now closed for the year 2023-24      (Click Here for Result)

Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute requests Proposals from interested faculty members of SICI's Canadian Member Universities. The Proposal will contain a detailed planning and approach, designing the procedures of taking a cohort of 15 Canadian post-secondary students to India and leading 'A Semester in India (ASII) Project' in partnership with one (or more) of SICI's Indian Member Universities. The ASII Project is a pilot initiative of the SICI Canada Office, where, for the first time, SICI's Student Mobility project will offer optional study credits to Canadian undergraduate students.

The ASII Project contains two-tier Call phases. This Tier-1 Call involves ASII Project Development, whereby the faculty members from SICI's Canadian Member Institutions will submit their ASII Project Development Proposals to SICI.

In the Tier-2 Call (to be announced in August 2023), SICI will request applications from Canadian students of SICI’s Canadian Member Universities to participate in the ASII (A Semester in India) Project 2023-24. The selected Canadian students will be placed in an Indian host institution under the supervision of Canadian and Indian faculty members to complete 13 weeks of study in India. The process will briefly entail the participating Canadian students registering with the lead Canadian University to enter the ASII Project (for one semester). These students will receive up to 15 credits from the lead Canadian university upon completion of ASII Project courses. At the outset of the application process, the students will contact their advisors to ensure credits from the ASII Project will count as option credits in their overall program requirements.

Overall Objectives of ASII Project (Tier 1 and 2)

• Encourage and expand the outbound mobility of undergraduate Canadian students to India.
• Initiate the process of Couse Credits and or Credit transfer mechanisms between SICI's Canadian and Indian member institutions, thus strengthening long-term institutional partnerships between Canada and India.

Pertinent Information Concerning ASII Project Development (Tier 1)

• In partnership with an Indian faculty counterpart, the Canadian faculty will develop an ASII Project plan offering Canadian students up to 15 credits, i.e., five 3-credit courses.
• The courses may include areas/topics/themes from broader study domains like Humanities, Arts and Culture, Language, Agricultural Sciences, Social Sciences, International Development, Economic Development, Business Studies, interdisciplinary studies, STEM, etc. 
• The study technique will involve in-class lectures-assignments and short field trips within nearby locations of the host Indian institution/s. 
• The minimum number of participating Canadian students will be 15.
• These students will be placed in the partnering Indian host university.
• The total project duration (study period) will be for 13 weeks.
• The 13 weeks placement timeline will be between mid-January to mid-April 2024
• The proposal should include a total budget (with a breakdown) denoting the costs of completing the ASII project (Tier-2) in India.

Eligible Institutions

• SICI’s Member Institutions subject in good standing with fully paid-up SICI membership for the current year (2023-24)

Projected Contributions (monetary and in-kind) from All Stakeholders

The ASII Project (Tier-2) will build upon quadripartite contributions (Cash and or kind) from all stakeholders, i.e., SICI, the Canadian and Indian Universities and the Canadian students, as follows:

• SICI has a budget of CAD$7000/per student (CAD$105,000/15 students). The SICI budget will cover the travel (international and local), visa fees, health insurance, accommodation, and meal expenses of Canadian students and the accompanying lead faculty. The budget will also partially cover the course fees for the students and the honorarium for the Indian faculty members. 
• The students will bear the remaining course fees and miscellaneous expenses.
• The lead Canadian and host Indian universities will make reasonable in-kind or cash (where possible) contributions to the project.

Eligible Applicants

• Applicants must be full-time faculty members from SICI's Canadian Member Universities. The Canadian Member Universities list is available at this link: (http://www.shastriinstitute.org/canadian-member-institutions).
• Applicants (faculty members) must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
• SICI expects the applicants to connect and collaborate with a faculty member of SICI's Indian Member universities to apply for this Project. A list of SICI's Indian Member Council Universities is available at this link: (http://www.shastriinstitute.org/indian-member-institutions). However, SICI may also consider good proposals submitted by a lead Canadian Member University collaborating with an Indian University outside SICI’s Indian Member Council.

Evaluation Criteria

Application Requirements

A complete application package should be a single pdf file with the ASII Project Development Application Form 2023-24 and the following sections in sequential order:

1. A project proposal listing the number and short description of the courses to be offered, including the thematic areas/subjects, total number of credits, and the formats/methods of instruction (in-class and field trips): 3-4 pages.
2. Details of professional backgrounds and contributions and demonstrations of successful outputs of the faculty members (Lead and Co) in similar study abroad project/s: 2 pages.
3. Intended scholarly inputs of the lead and co-partnering faculty members in completing the ASII Project: 3 pages.
4. A balanced budget showing the projected revenues (contributions from all stakeholders) and expenditures to execute the ASII Project entirely.
5. Curriculum Vitae of the lead applicant (Canadian), not more than three (3) pages. All additional pages after the 3rd page will be removed.
6. Curriculum Vitae of the Co-applicant (host faculty in India), not more than three (3) pages. All additional pages after the 3rd page will be removed.
7. Copy of a valid Passport/PR Card.

Proposal Selection and Timeline

Based on the above evaluation criteria, SICI’s Executive Council will select the most feasible Proposal. 

Application Deadline: August 31, 2023 (11:00 pm MST)

How to apply 

Email your complete ASII Project Development Proposal package to siciapp@ucalgary.ca with the subject line- "ASII Project Development 2023-24" on or before August 31, 2023, by 11:00 pm (MST).

Application Form: Form 

Contact

For any clarification/information/queries, please email:

Mahmuda Aldeen
Program and Member Relations Officer
Email: maldeen@ucalgary.ca